The Catholic Church has a new mascot: Luce—which means “light” in Italian—is the Vatican’s new, anime-inspired mascot. Unveiled on Oct. 28, 2024, the character is a blue-haired little girl with giant, blue eyes who wears dirty green boots, a yellow jacket, and a large crucifix around her neck.
Luce (pronounced “loo-chay)” walks with a tall pilgrim’s staff, as do her friends Luca, Fe, Xin, and Sky, and is also followed by her pet dog, Santino. Designed in the anime style by Italian artist Simone Legno (Italian co-founder of the pop brand Tokidoki) Luce is, according to the Vatican’s website, “born in the heart of the Vatican, spreading laughter and friendship to all.”
Where did Luce the anime Vatican mascot come from?
Every 25 years, Catholicism celebrates a ‘jubilee,’ (or ‘holy Year’) to highlight and cultivate forgiveness, reconciliation, and re-connection with fellow Catholics. Ahead of the 2025 Jubilee, it seems that the Vatican is attempting its own re-connection…with Catholic youth.
According to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican’s chief organizer for the jubilee (and the person who officially unveiled Luce), the mascot is a part of the Vatican’s goal to engage with “the pop culture so beloved by our young people.”
Luce will make her official debut at Lucca Comics & Games Festival, a comics convention in Lucca, Italy held the first week of November. This will be the first time the Vatican has ever had a presence at an event of this nature—certainly the Archbishops and Popemobile will fit right in.
But like, why though?
The creation of Luce (and her friends) for the Jubilee is a not-so-veiled attempt on behalf of the center of the Roman Catholic Church to pivot in their branding and reputation by appealing to a younger crowd. According to Luce’s website, “Our mission is to celebrate faith with a light heart, connecting people from all walks of life through positivity and fun. Join us as we create a vibrant community where everyone is welcome here!”
How are people reacting to Luce?
Luce has proven to be quite polarizing. On one hand, the Vatican’s attempt at seeming young and cool is partly working. A large swath of the internet is voicing their love for the adorable anime character and creating fan art around her.
On the other hand, some Catholics are infuriated by Luce and the Vatican’s try-hard attitude towards recruiting new followers. The biggest dissenters seem to be RadTrads (internet slang for hyper-traditional Catholics), critics of Catholicism, and niche anime fans.
Cultural context
Despite Italy historically being a hub of art and culture, the creation of Luce symbolizes a shift away from European aesthetics and clearly codifies the public’s interest in anime and anime culture. It’s also interesting to see the Vatican taking big swings to change the public perception of Catholicism.
@cmkelli #Luce #Luce🇻🇦 #🇻🇦 #catholic #🇻🇦✝️ #✝️ #f #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #fypシ #fy #foryourpage #fypage #fypシ゚viral ♬ original sound – OFF™
If it will work…well, that remains to be seen.
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