The Vatican has found a new star – and no, it’s not the ‘gamer saint.” The Vatican has announced this official mascot for anniversary 2025 on Monday and it’s an anime character named Luce. Although it’s been about a day since Luce was revealed, she’s already become incredibly popular online, with people flocking to social media platforms like X to share memes and fan art of the little pilgrim.
Luce was designed by Simone Legno, the creator of the Tokidoki brand, for the Jubilee, a year-long religious period in the Catholic Church that emphasizes the “forgiveness of sins.” Her basic chibi design almost resembles a Sanrio character and includes details such as a yellow raincoat, mud on her boots from her journey, and a shell-shaped design in her eyes that apparently represent the hope born in the heart of every pilgrim. In Italian, her name means ‘light’ and she is designed to reflect pop culture and appeal to the younger generation. the official anniversary website translated by Polygon said.
The kawaii character comes at a controversial time for the Catholic Church. Ten years ago, the Vatican set up a commission on clergy sexual abuse, and the group published its first report on Tuesday. Victim advocates criticized the commission’s findings as lacking independent verification and being “toothless.” according to a New York Times story. Many victims of clergy abuse were children, so the introduction of a mascot aimed at young people highlights the dissonance between the Vatican’s new mascot and the clergy’s failure to protect children.
Despite other news, it seems like the Pope and other Vatican officials wanted to jump on the anime hype train – and it looks like it worked to some extent. People online are sharing anime-inspired fan art of Luce and memes highlighting the fact that Catholics are now getting an anime girl. Some artworks show Luce in a more detailed style, but others joke about her interactions with Jesus. Anyway, there are loads, so keep scrolling to see them all.
The Vatican releasing an official anime character wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card, but it makes sense since the Vatican is Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.
