‘Open Doors’ photo exhibition unveiled in the Vatican
By Joseph Tulloch
Since Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in St Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve, officially inaugaurating the Catholic Church's 2025 Jubilee Year, millions of pilgrims have already made the journey to the Eternal City. Of these, many have come with the goal of passing through one of the city's four Holy Doors, gateways which symbolise rebirth and renewal.
It is this concept – that of the portal wide open to the world – that lies at the centre of new photo exhibition, ‘Open Doors’, inaugurated on Tuesday, March 25th, in the Vatican’s Casina Pio IV.
‘Every door can be opened’
The display, jointly organised by Emotions to Create Change and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, features 25 images from all corners of the planet, and nine different photographers.
Each photographer has freely interpreted the theme of ‘open doors’, and a variety of portals – and the human beings that use them – are on display in the images. In one shot from Kayseri, Turkey, an elderly couple walk hand-in-hand past a mustard-yellow wall inset with a startingly blue door, ever so slightly ajar. In another, a nun stands in front of a large archway in the wall flanking St Peter’s Square.
Speaking as the exhibition was inaugurated, the Prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Paolo Ruffini, stressed that the photos on display were a reminder that “every door can be opened”.
As participants look at the photos, he emphasised, “the photos look at us”, and “push us toward change”.
Telling stories, sharing hope
Participants were then shown the film Green Lava. The short documentary, directed by Lia Beltrami and Ali Aksu in collaboration with Vatican News and Vatican Radio, tells the story of Giacomo, a 22-year-old from the north of Italy suffering from muscular dystrophy, and of the close-knit group of friends that accompany and support him.
The showing of Green Lava was followed by a panel discussion on the theme of ‘Storytelling as a mirror to realty’. In what ways, participants asked, can telling stories – about art, finance, religion, and our everyday existence – change lives?
Members of the Dicastery for Communication – the Prefect Paolo Ruffini, Theological-Pastoral Director Nataša Govekar, Editorial Director Andrea Tornielli and Vice Directors Alessandro Gisotti and Massimiliano Menichetti – took part in the discussion, highlighting the ways in which the Vatican’s media channels attempt to share narratives of hope.
Other speakers – including members of The ImPact, a global community of families committed to ethical investing – highlighted the need for Christian storytellers to focus above all on giving voice to the most disadvantaged.
Food and fraternity
The day’s events had been made possible by groups of volunteers from Trentino Alto Adige, a region in the north of Italy.
Among them were members of Autumnus – an organisation from the northern Italian city of Trento which provides sustainable catering using high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients – who provided participants with lunch.
Explaining the choice of catering, event organiser Lia Beltrami stressed that, although “the experience of sharing a meal with authentic food is as ancient as humanity itself”, the process of industrialisation has meant that “our profound connection with food has been lost”.
For this reason, she stressed, “art—and in particular, the culinary arts—have the task of guiding us back to that deep and authentic place where creation, the Creator, and humanity come together at the same table”.
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