Inspired by an article in the New York Post about Pope Francis opening the “Five Sacred Gates” this Christmas, idiots in the social media world are now claiming that the Pope will open “Lucifer’s Tomb” or the Tomb of Satan. We are holding our breath and sharing the warning that this is about to happen. this holiday season.
The below TikTok video by GraceXDigital has been viewed over 2 million times and explains the entire conspiracy theory. Grace has important questions for the Pope, such as, “Why are we doing this this year in this economic climate?”
The Pope is opening five portals to close out 2024, but I regret to inform you that the Pope has no plans to open the Tomb of Lucifer. Because nothing that great will happen. Lucifer’s tomb lies beneath the Vatican, but it’s not as cool as you might expect. There’s nothing in this story that’s not as cool as you’d expect.
What are these portals that the Pope is opening?
In fact, the Pope will open five sacred portals as part of this year’s ceremonies, but “portal” simply means “door,” and four of the five doors lead to famous cathedrals. Despite what the weirdos on the internet say, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. The ceremony is held every 25 years and is intended to usher in a year of “renewed hope” for Catholics. So basically, it’s the Pope doing the Pope’s junk.
The only part of this story that has never happened before is that Pope Francis put his own spin on the ritual by opening the fifth door inside the Roman prison, Rebibbia, on December 26th. This is intended to give prisoners a sign that they are looking to the future. I felt hope and new confidence. ” The opening of the door is symbolic, and the prisoners are not released to rampage through Rome.
Tomb of Lucifer and the Vatican Necropolis
The kind of cool part about this story is that there is a city of the dead beneath the Vatican City that contains Lucifer’s tomb and you can visit it. The Vatican Necropolis is located 15 to 24 feet below St. Peter’s Basilica, near the grounds of Caligula’s Circus. Originally an open-air cemetery, this necropolis dates back to the Roman Empire and probably contains the remains of the Apostle Peter, as well as the remains of various popes and other prominent early Catholics. Lucifer’s tomb is also located here.
But it is not Lucifer, the morning star, or the fallen angel who became the head of the devil. Lucifer’s final fate is unclear. Maybe he’s still alive and cleverly persuading people to cheat at Monopoly, or maybe he’s found salvation and is in heaven, or maybe he’s in Newark. do not have. (According to Dante, Lucifer is in the deepest part of the abyss, frozen in ice and forced to flap his wings forever to give power to Hell, so I decided to do that.) ) In any case, Lucifer, who is like an angel, is not an angel-like being. Since we are humans, we do not have graves.
According to the Vatican’s own map of the necropolis, Tomb U is labeled “Lucifer.” “Due to defects in the architrave, the entrance to the tomb has been reduced. However, it is possible to glimpse part of the niche with its characteristic red background and several arcosolis,” the Vatican said. Is the background red? It must be Satan. But no. The construction of this tomb predates the name “Lucifer” being associated with the devil. Actually, I don’t know why it’s called Lucifer’s Tomb. It could be a reference to graffiti found in the area, or a reference to an important Catholic with that name. However, it does not refer to the devil.
Why are there so many Catholic conspiracy theories anyway?
Why the Pope’s opening of parts of Vatican City became a conspiracy theory on TikTok is a complex question. The history of anti-Catholicism in America goes back to before America even existed. While these deep cultural and historical biases are probably a part of it, I think the main reason people spread this kind of conspiracy theory thinking is much more innocent. The Catholic Church is really old and really weird, and people like to add a little spice to their Christmas eggnog. .
People also like to put together puzzles, and the Catholic Church provides plenty of pieces to play with. Vatican City is an ancient city full of tunnels, crumbling Roman ruins, and a necropolis beneath its cathedrals. The Pope controls a city-state, can speak with the voice of God, and wears a very impressive hat. It’s a setting where anything could happen at any time, including the Pope digging up Satan’s tomb, presumably for them to fight.
Like many conspiracy theorists, author Dan Brown, and the developer of the video game Assassin’s Creed, I want great things to be real. I’d like to see a flashy showdown between angels and demons (and aliens) in Vatican City. But good and evil don’t work that way in real life. Even if you put an elaborate hat on the “good guys,” they’re still fallible old guys who are 51% good on a good day.
Evil does not live in the grave and come at you with a flaming sword. It would be great if the Pope, with the help of his big buddy God, could strike down those who needed a blow, but despite the hat and the scepter and the symbolic authority, the most the Pope could do was I just left some old doors open. He might go to the palace and try to get people to think about the plight of the prisoners.
