Luce was designed by Simone Legno, creator of the Tokidoki brand, for the jubilee, a year-long religious period in the Catholic church that emphasizes the “forgiveness of sins.” His basic chibi design almost looks like a Sanrio character and contains details such as a yellow raincoat, mud on his boots from the journey, and a shell design in his eyes that seemingly represent the hope that is born in the heart of every pilgrim. In Italian, its name means “light” and it was designed to reflect pop culture and appeal to the younger generation, according to the official jubilee website translated by Polygon.
The kawaii character arrives at a controversial time for the Catholic church. Ten years ago, the Vatican created a commission on clerical sexual abuse, and the group released its first report Tuesday. Victim advocates criticized the commission's findings as lacking independent verification and being “useless,” according to a New York Times article. Many victims of clerical 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 bandwagon, and it seems like it worked on some level. People online share anime-inspired fanart of Luce and memes that poke fun at the fact that Catholics now have an anime girl. Some artwork depicts Luce in a more detailed style, but others make jokes about her hanging out with Jesus. Either way, there are many, so scroll through 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 will be holding its 2025 exhibition in Osaka, Japan.