Vatican unveils anime-like mascot 'Luce', aims to engage youth ahead of 2025 jubilee

The Vatican has introduced “Luce,” a cheerful cartoon mascot unveiled Monday (October 28) as the face of its upcoming 2025 Jubilee, aiming to appeal to younger audiences and guide visitors through the holy year.

Named after the Italian word for “light,” Luce was created to “engage with the pop culture so beloved by our young people,” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican’s lead organiser for the Jubilee.

Clad in a yellow raincoat, mud-stained boots, and a pilgrim’s cross, Luce is depicted with bright, shell-patterned eyes that symbolise hope, accompanied by her loyal dog, Santino, the Catholic News Agency reported.

Luce will debut this week at Italy’s Lucca Comics and Games convention, marking the first time a Vatican office will participate in a comics event.

The Dicastery for Evangelization’s space at the convention, themed “Luce and Friends,” aims to “speak to younger generations about the theme of hope,” said Fisichella, who is also the pro-prefect for new evangelisation.

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The mascot’s design, created by tokidoki co-founder Simone Legno, includes a yellow raincoat, symbolizing the Vatican flag and life’s journeys through challenging times, with muddy boots representing a long pilgrimage.

Luce’s staff reflects the theme of spiritual journey, while her friends — Fe, Xin, and Sky — wear colorful jackets to appeal to younger pilgrims.

In addition to leading the holy year, Luce will represent the Vatican at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, embodying the theme “Beauty Brings Hope.” Caravaggio’s “The Entombment of Christ” from the Vatican Museums will also be displayed in the Vatican’s pavilion at the expo.

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Ahead of the Jubilee, the Vatican has scheduled several cultural events, including a Nov. 3 performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and an art exhibit of Marc Chagall’s White Crucifixion from Nov. 27 to January 27 at Rome’s Museo del Corso.

The holy year will officially open with the unveiling of St. Peter’s Basilica’s Holy Door on Christmas Eve 2024, with an estimated 30 million pilgrims expected in Rome by the year’s close on January 6, 2026.