It’s always fun when an ancient, stuffy, and controversial organization realizes they are losing touch with the youth and desperately scrambles to appeal to kids who have zero interest in it.
That’s what the Catholic Church is doing for the upcoming 2025 Jubilee year, a special holy year of forgiveness that’s traditionally celebrated every 25 years. To mark the occasion—and to capture the hearts and minds of kids who were raised on anime—the Vatican has unveiled Luce, the Jubilee year’s new neochibi mascot.
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Luce, pronounced “loo-chay,” means “light” in Italian. She symbolizes hope and faith. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the chief organizer for the jubilee, hopes Luce will help spread the evangelical message of hope to kids raised on Dragon Ball Z.
Appropriately enough, Luce will make her official debut at a comic convention, specifically the Lucca Comics & Games convention in Lucca, Italy, the first week of November. This will be the first time the Vatican has ever had a presence at a nerdy convention. Let’s hope the Pope has an autograph booth.
When it came to the creation of Luce, the Vatican reportedly spared no expense, commissioning the talents of world-renowned Italian pop artist Simone Legno, creator of the tokidoki brand. His style is heavily influenced by graffiti, street art, and of course, Japanese culture.
The Church says that Luce is designed to embody the Catholic pilgrimage, the journey of life, and the challenges faced along the way. The shells in her eyes come from the Camino de Santiago, a famous pilgrimage. Her muddy boots (which look a little bit like blood), her rain jacket, and her walking stick are altogether supposed to symbolize the “journey through life’s storms.”
The Vatican will also use Luce as the face of its pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, where Luce will be used to promote the theme of “Beauty Brings Hope.”
And she has friends! A multicultural cast of fellow Catholics who looked almost exactly like her in design with a few minor details swapped in and hour and with different color palettes. There’s Fe, Xin, Sky, and Luce’s dog, Santino.
Who knows how the Vatican is actually going to use Luce and friends—whether it be a line of merch or maybe even an animated series? Find out at the Vatican’s convention booth, like it’s the latest Marvel announcements at San Diego Comic Con’s Hall H.