Vatican unveils anime mascot ‘Luce’ for Holy Year 2025
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the chief organizer of the Holy Year 2025, announced that it will have an official cartoon mascot named “Luce.”
The Catholic News Agency reported that the character stemmed from the Church’s desire “to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth.”
Luce will also represent the Holy See’s pavilion at Expo 2025, which will happen in Osaka, Japan, from April to October 2025.
Article continues after this advertisementLuce and Holy Year 2025
The Vatican has unveiled the official mascot of the Holy Year 2025: Luce (Italian for Light).
— CatholicTV (@CatholicTV) October 28, 2024
Archbishop Fisichella says the mascot was inspired by the Church's desire "to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth." pic.twitter.com/hVU2CmYA3O
Luce’s name means “light” in Italian, and it will debut this week at Lucca Comics and Games, Italy’s celebrated pop culture convention.
The character is a pilgrim dressed in a yellow raincoat and mud-stained boots. Also, she’s wearing a missionary cross and holding a pilgrim’s staff.
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Article continues after this advertisementHer outfit represents the Vatican flag and the “journey through life’s storms.” Moreover, the cartoon’s eyes are the shape of scallop shells, which are traditional symbols of pilgrimage and hope.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization will host a space for “Luce and Friends.” Simone Legno, the Italian co-founder of the pop culture brand tokidoki, designed her and her friends Fe, Xin, and Sky.
Legno said he hopes “Luce can represent the sentiments that resonate in the hearts of the younger generations.”
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She’ll be the cartoon mascot for Holy Year 2025 or the 2025 Jubilee Year. The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) says a Jubilee is a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Every 50 years, it invites people to return to their relationship with God, with another, and with all creation.
This upcoming Holy Year’s theme is “Pilgrims of Hope,” hence Luce’s design. Pope Francis invites Catholics to renew their hope and discover a vision to “restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone.”
It will remind the faithful they’re “pilgrims on the earth” rather than its masters. The 2025 Holy Year or Jubilee will begin on Christmas Eve 2024 and end on January 6, 2026.
