The Vatican has the power of anime and God on its side, as it has unveiled Luce, its tokidoki designed mascot for the Holy Year 2025. According to Archbishop Fisichella, this is the Church’s attempt to “live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth.” [Thanks, CatholicTV!]
At first glance, little Catholic mascot Luce resembles quintessential Japanese pop culture figure Hatsune Miku, but wearing a rosary and a yellow raincoat while also holding onto a shepherd’s staff. However, there is actually a lot of religious imagery and importance in Luce’s design. The light of God shines in Luce’s eyes, the raincoat symbolizes the divine protection pilgrims had as they journeyed to salvation, and the dirty green boots symbolize both hope and humility.
Japanese-inspired lifestyle brand tokidoki teamed up with the Catholic Church in order to design this character. It also unveiled some other characters who are Luce’s pilgrim friends. They’re all wearing raincoats and muddy boots, as well as holding staffs. And yes, they’re walking around with God’s light shining through their big ol’ anime eyes. There are also non-human mascots: a dove, an angel, and a dog.
Luce will also appear at the Holy See’s pavilion at Expo 2025, along with “The Entombment of Christ” by Caravaggio. This is a very famous oil painting that Caravaggio painted between 1603 and 1604 for the Santa Maria in Vallicella, with plenty of dupes and copies throughout history. As Luce is the mascot for 2025, this implies that the Vatican plans on releasing more in the future in order to reach the youth through the power of anime. It’s unknown if it will collaborate once again with tokidoki for Luce’s future and hypothetical successor.
Time will tell if this endeavor to live among the youth through pop culture works out for the Vatican.
Published: Oct 29, 2024 10:00 pm