Conspiracy theorists call Holy Doors at Vatican, that won't open until 2050, 'portals to hell'

The Vatican will start sealing the four Holy Doors on December 25. The Holy See, the central authority of the Roman Catholic Church, has announced that the first door to be ceremonially sealed will be the one at St Mary Major Basilica on Christmas Day. It will be followed by those at St. John Lateran Basilica and St Paul Outside the Walls on December 27 and 28, respectively. The last and the most prominent of the four, the one at St Peter's Basilica, will remain open until January 6, 2026. Pope Leo XIV will close it during the final Jubilee Mass. All four of these "portals" opened during the Jubilee, as part of a tradition observed since 1300. The period arrives every 25 years and is a time for celebration, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal. The doors will now open in 2050.

Conspiracy theories about portals to hell

While there have always been four doors, in 2025, Pope Francis added a fifth Holy Door at Rebibbia Prison. No date for its closure has been announced. The doors are shut using brick and mortar. The opening and closing of the Holy Doors is linked to a time of hope, and is seen by pilgrims as a representation of Jesus, or a "door" to salvation. However, conspiracy theories have been swirling about them for years, with some saying the doors are "portals to hell", Satanic gateways that find no mention in the Bible. They claim that when the doors open, it is an invitation for demonic forces. Some people even link it to apocalypse fears.

Vatican tradition of Holy Doors

However, the Vatican has been following the tradition since 1300, which signals the start of the holy year. The doors are opened by removing the bricks that close the door from the inside of the basilica. Pope then pushed the doors open. When they are closed after the end of the year, the Pope is the last person to walk through each of them. The bronze panels are closed first, followed by the laying of a brick wall reconstructed inside.

Pope Boniface VIII was the first to turn the opening of the doors into a Christian ceremony and later proclaimed that it would be held every 100 years. Two years later, Jubilee was changed to every 50 years. In 1474, Pope Paul II established Jubilee should be held every 25 years.