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No, the pope isn't opening five portals to other worlds on Christmas Eve | Fact check

Nate Trela   Paste BN
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The claim: Pope is opening five portals to 'other world' in new ritual on Christmas Eve

A Dec. 17 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) suggests something nefarious will happen at the Vatican on Christmas Eve.

“Pope Francis wants to open five portals on Christmas Eve, a ritual that has never been done before,” a woman in the video says. She goes on to claim the portals would allow “fallen angelic souls” to cross over into this world and come to Earth, interpreting the Vatican's actions in light of a dream she had.

Text over the video states, "Pope: opening gates to the 'other world.'

The post was liked more than 400 times in three days. A similar claim was made on Facebook.

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Our rating: False

The post misrepresents a ritual known as the opening of holy doors, which marks the start of a special period of forgiveness for the Catholic Church. The ritual has been performed since the 15th century and involves physically opening ceremonial doors for people to walk through. They are not “portals” to other worlds, planes or dimensions. And the five doors will be opened over more than a week, not just on Christmas Eve.

Jubilee Years a celebration of forgiveness, not pathway to other world

On Dec. 24, Pope Francis will use a ceremonial hammer to open a sealed door at the Vatican to mark the beginning of a jubilee, or a holy year.

It’s a special ritual, but contrary to the post, it’s not a “never-before-performed” ceremony, nor will it happen at five doors on Christmas Eve. And it doesn’t open portals to another world.

Jubilee years are held at least every quarter century, with the last regular one in 2000, according to the Vatican. Popes can declare special ones more frequently, as Francis did with a jubilee running from late 2015 to late 2016.

A jubilee begins with the ceremonial opening of sealed doors, signifying a pathway to forgiveness, a tradition dating back to 1425, according to the Vatican’s official site for the jubilee. Traditionally the pope opens the doors at Rome’s four basilicas, starting with one at the Vatican on Christmas Eve and continuing over ensuing days.

Francis’s itinerary for the upcoming jubilee year starts with the holy door at the Vatican on Dec. 24, then continues to include more doors through Jan. 5, 2025.

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The upcoming year will include one first-of-its-kind moment. The Vatican says Francis’s plan to open a fifth holy door Dec. 26 at Rome’s Rebibbia prison will be the first time a pope does so at a penal institution.The doors remain open throughout the jubilee year, with pilgrims flocking to the basilicas in Rome to pass through them. Walking through the doors is a symbol of choosing to follow Jesus, according to the Vatican.

The pope uses a ceremonial hammer to open each holy door. Paste BN previously debunked a post that falsely claimed a hammer from a prior jubilee was actually used for a formal process for determining if the pope was dead.

Paste BN reached out to social media users sharing the claim for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Snopes also debunked the claim.

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