Vatican seals four Holy Doors on Christmas Day as end‑times chatter swells
The countdown to sealing the four Holy Doors has begun. The Holy See announced that the Holy Doors, which opened in December 2024 during the 2025 Jubilee, will be ceremonially sealed starting on Christmas Day. These doors were opened during the 2025 Jubilee, a tradition celebrated every 25 years since 1300, marking a period of celebration, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal for the faithful. The door at St Mary Major Basilica will be sealed first on December 25, followed by those at St John Lateran Basilica and St Paul Outside the Walls on December 27 and 28, respectively. St Peter's Basilica, the most prominent of the four, will remain open until January 6, 2026, when Pope Leo XIV will close it during the final Jubilee Mass. The door at Rebibbia Prison has not yet received an official closing date, though it is expected to follow the overall schedule. The Holy Doors will be sealed with reconstructed brick walls and will remain closed until the next Jubilee, expected around 2050. While the Vatican frames these closings as a routine liturgical conclusion to a year of hope and pilgrimage, apocalyptic and conspiracy theories tie the events to biblical end-times prophecies.
In This Article:
- Closing order unfolds: Mary Major first, then the others
- A centuries‑long Jubilee tradition: how the Holy Doors evolved
- How the ritual is performed: opening and sealing
- End‑times chatter versus faith: conspiracy theories meet church tradition
- What the ritual leaves behind and what it means for pilgrims
Closing order unfolds: Mary Major first, then the others
The doors will be sealed in this order: the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore will seal its Holy Door on the evening of December 25. The Holy Doors at St John Lateran will close on December 27, followed by St Paul Outside the Walls on December 28. St Peter's Basilica will stay open until January 6, 2026, when the pope closes it at the final Jubilee Mass. The Rebibbia Prison door has not yet received an official closing date, though it is expected to follow the overall schedule. The sealing involves removing the brick wall that covers each door from inside the basilica, and the Pope will push the doors open to signal the start of the Holy Year. When Jubilee finishes on January 6, 2026, the Pope will be the last person to walk through each door before closing them, which will then be bricked up and sealed. The ceremony, led by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas at 5:00pm local time, will be marked by the tolling of ‘La Sperduta’ (‘The Lost One’), the ancient bell long used to guide pilgrims on their journey home.
A centuries‑long Jubilee tradition: how the Holy Doors evolved
The tradition began in the 14th century and has been shaped by several pontificates. The first Holy Door was opened in 1425, at the archbasilica of St John Lateran, the oldest church in Rome. The archbasilica is the oldest public church in Rome, built in 324 AD. The Basilica of Saint Paul is the second largest basilica after St Peter's and is believed to be the burial site of St Paul. It has been a pilgrimage destination since 300 AD. The date was chosen for its profound significance: as the 'Basilica of the Holy Nativity,' it preserves the relics of the Sacred Crib. By closing the door on the day of Christ's birth, the Church offers a powerful reminder to the more than 20 million pilgrims who passed through its bronze gates that the foundation of faith lies in God becoming man. The ceremony, led by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas (note: keep accurate name if this is a known participant in context) and the broader Jubilee rites, marks the end of a Holy Year. The tradition traces back to earlier papal decisions: Pope Boniface VIII was the first to Christianize the ceremony and later proclaimed it to be held every 100 years, but two years later Jubilee was changed to every 50 years. It was not until 125 years after the first celebration that the first Holy Door was opened in the archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the oldest public church in Rome, built in 324 AD. In 1474, Pope Paul II established Jubilee should be held every 25 years, which followed the tradition of opening all four basilica doors. Saint Peter the Apostle, originally named Simeon, or Simōn, was a disciple of Jesus and is recognized in the early Christian church as the leader of the apostles. The basilica construction started in the 4th century when Roman Emperor Constantine decided to build a basilica where the apostle had been buried. Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. The Basilica of Mary Major, tied to the Council of Ephesus of 431 AD, proclaimed Mary Theotokos, which is Greek for 'Mother of God.' It is the largest of the 26 churches in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Constantine also ordered the construction of the basilica of St Paul, completing construction in 324, which is believed to house the remains of the Biblical figure.
How the ritual is performed: opening and sealing
The opening of the four basilica doors begins with removing the brick wall that covers each door from inside the basilica, followed by the Pope pushing the doors open to signal the beginning of the Holy Year. The Catholic Church began the ritual in December 2024, praying at the door in St Peter's Basilica and removing a metal box (pictured) that held a key, which was followed by ceremonies at the other four doors. When Jubilee ends on January 6, 2026, the Pope will be the last person to walk through each door before closing them, which will then be bricked up and sealed. The sealing of the door is a moment of high ceremony, with the bronze panels closed first and a brick wall later reconstructed inside, enclosing a parchment deed and commemorative medals of the pontificate, this time bearing the names of two different Successors of Peter.
End‑times chatter versus faith: conspiracy theories meet church tradition
Apocalyptic theories have surrounded the Holy Doors since their inception. Some conspiracy enthusiasts claim the Holy Doors are 'portals to hell' or Satanic gateways, not mentioned in the Bible and thus unbiblical or occult. Others talk of the alleged 'externalization of the [demonic] hierarchy' around 2025, a notion popularized by occult writer Alice Bailey. Some see the Jubilee closings as the culmination of long‑planned Luciferian schemes, revealing hidden evil forces. However, the Vatican has been opening and closing the Holy Doors since the tradition was adopted in 1300.
What the ritual leaves behind and what it means for pilgrims
The sealing of the door is a moment of high ceremony, with the bronze panels closed first and a brick wall later reconstructed inside, enclosing a parchment deed and commemorative medals of the pontificate, this time bearing the names of two different Successors of Peter. The Rebibbia door is hypothetical, which was added for the first time this Jubilee. The pope walked through the main door as 'a symbol of all the prisons dispersed throughout the world,' and will likely do the same for the closing rite. Pope Boniface VIII was the first to Christianize the ceremony and later proclaimed it to be held every 100 years, but two years later Jubilee was changed to every 50 years. It was not until 125 years after the first celebration that the first Holy Door was opened in the archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the oldest public church in Rome, built in 324 AD. The process also underscores Constantine’s role in building the early churches, including the Basilica of St Paul completed in 324 AD and St Mary Major tied to the 431 AD Council of Ephesus.
