Vatican to open five ‘sacred portals’ for first time in quarter of a century

It will soon be time to open the portals once more (Picture: AP/Reuters)

Pope Francis is preparing to unbrick and open five ‘sacred portals’ symbolising the doorway to salvation.

The doors have not been opened for 25 years, since the turn of the Millennium, so may well be a little rusty.

This year, for the first time, one of the doors will be opened in a prison, as a ‘sign inviting prisoners to look to the future with hope’, the Pope said in his bull of indiction announcing this year’s ceremony.

The tradition dates back to 1300, and the door openings themselves follow a ritual first carried out in 1423.

They mark ‘Jubilee’ years, a concept dating back to the Old Testament when sinners could see their sins forgiven.

2025 is one such year, so if you’ve got something on your mind, it could be a good time to confess.

The doors in the basilicas have been bricked up from the inside. The walls will be taken down before the Pope walks through them to symbolise the beginning of the Holy Year.

They will remain open all year for pilgrims to pass through until the Jubilee finishes on January 6, 2026.

The pope will then be the last person to walk back through before closing them, and they will be sealed up once again.

In Rebibbia Prison, the process will be different as it is the main door of the prison which will be used as a symbol for all prisons in the world.

The ‘Christ Child’ displayed on a keffiyeh scarf as part of the ‘Nativity of Bethlehem 2024’ at the Vatican (Picture: Getty)

Pope Francis said he hoped the Jubilee would be ‘a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the “door” of our salvation’.

In October, he asked for prayers for the ‘martyred’ people of Ukraine and cited ‘inhumane attacks’ in Gaza and said he feared the world was ‘losing its heart’.

The Vatican’s Nativity scene this year featured a baby Jesus, lying on a manger lined with the Palestinian keffiyeh.

The pope said: ‘These nativity scenes remind us of those who, in the land where the Son of God was born, continue to suffer due to the tragedy of war.’

The keffiyeh, a black and white scarf worn by Palestinians, is a symbol that is commonly used to demonstrate support towards the state.

At a ceremony to ordain new cardinals last week, the pope was seen with a large bruise on his chin sparking health concerns.

A Vatican spokesman said it was caused after he fell and hit a night stand with his chin.

In 2017, while on a trip to Colombia, the pope was left with a black eye after hitting his head on a support bar when his popemobile stopped short.

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