Highlights:
*Ahead of their 2025 Jubilee, the Vatican had a surprise for people.
*The Vatican’s new mascot Luce is an adorable anime-esque pilgrim.
Even the Vatican is not immune to the increasing popularity of anime. That is why, when the new mascot was revealed for next year’s Jubilee celebrations, people came face-to-face with a cute chibi cartoon girl with blue hair. Even though Luce was created to appeal to younger visitors, everyone on the internet already loves her, and fanarts have already started flowing.
Who Is The Vatican’s New Mascot Luce?
Archbishop Reno Fisichella introduced the world to the Vatican’s new mascot on October 28, 2024. Named Luce, after the Italian word for light, the new face of the 2025 Jubilee is a small anime girl with blue hair. Luce is designed by Simone Legno, who is the co-founder of tokidoki art. Luce is clad in a yellow raincoat, to protect her against the hardships of nature, and carries a pilgrim’s staff in her hand. The raincoat is also reminiscent of the Vatican’s flag. She has boots covered in mud, to signify her long holy journey.
Other than her blue hair, she also has big eyes with seashell patterns on her pupils. According to the reveal, these patterns are meant to signify the light of hope that resides in the hearts of all pilgrims. Luce is the main attraction of the upcoming Jubilee, which will begin in 2025. Her design, which strongly reminds people of popular anime characters like Rei Ayaname, Sayaka, and Shino Asada, was meant to attract a younger audience. According to Archbishop Fisichella, the goal behind creating Luce was to get integrated in the pop culture that today’s youngsters love so much.
Not only Luce, but three more of her friends, called Fe, Xin, and Sky, were also introduced to the people. Both devout Catholics and anime fans alike absolutely adore the ‘chibi’ design of these characters. Many people have already started making fanarts of Luce and even a lot of memes have originated. Not only does she represent what the Jubilee stands for, but also aims to act as a beacon of hope for all devout Catholics worldwide.