Luce is an attempt to form connections via “the pop culture so beloved by our young people.”

As Japanese enterprises and organizations have proven time and time again, there’s no better way to promote yourself than with adorable anime-style mascot characters, and now it looks like a surprising overseas entity has seen the light of this strategy too: the Vatican. Yes, the Vatican, as in the governing body of Christianity.

Unveiled at a recent press conference was Luce, who will serve as the official mascot of the upcoming 2025 jubilee, a periodic year of forgiveness during which the faithful are encouraged to make pilgrimages to places of historical significance, most prominently the Vatican/St. Peter’s Basilica in Italy. That’s why Luce (whose name means “light” in Italian) is wearing muddied boots and a raincoat, with the coat’s bright yellow hue being a nod to color scheme of the Vatican City flag.

In presenting Luce, Rino Fisichella, the archbishop who’s serving as chief organizer for the 2025 jubilee, said that the mascot is part of an effort to form connections though “the pop culture so beloved by our young people.”

▼ Fisichella presenting Luce to the public for the first time

Though Luce’s look is obviously inspired by the aesthetics of Japanese comics and animation, the character is actually designed by Italian illustrator Simone Legno, best known for the Tokidoki lifestyle brand.

▼ “I could never have imagined that I would bring my humble artistic contribution, pop-culture, kawaii-culture to the Holy See,” says Legno in an Instagram post that also features Luce’s dog Santino and a number of friends.

This actually isn’t the first time for Christianity and anime-style artwork to intersect. We’ve previously talked about Pyuri-tan, the star of a manga serialized in Japan’s Christ Weekly Christian newspaper, and there have been multiple iterations of a Christian Japanese light novel-writing contest. This does appear to be the first time, though, for a Christian organization outside Japan of such stature to employ anime-style aesthetics.

▼ Pyuri-tan

In addition to promoting the 2025 jubilee, Luce will also be making a trip to Japan to be part of the Vatican’s pavilion at the Expo 2025 world’s fair that’s scheduled to open in April, so maybe Gundam and Luce will be able to meet each other.

Source: YouTube/Vatican News, Catholic News Agency
Top image: YouTube/Vatican News
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