Anime is so popular that the Vatican has created its own anime-inspired mascot

[Source]

The Vatican has introduced Luce, its first-ever anime mascot Luce. Luce — meaning “light” in Italian — will serve as the Catholic Church’s mascot for the 2025 Jubilee Year, which has the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”

• Driving the news: Speaking to reporters on Oct. 28, Jubilee organizer Archbishop Rino Fisichella explained that Luce was inspired by the church’s desire "to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth." He also noted that they created the character to draw in the younger generation who grew up watching popular anime like “One Piece.” Luce, who appears as a pilgrim wearing a bright yellow raincoat with muddy boots and carrying a shepherd's staff, was created by Italian pop artist Simone Legno, the founder of the Los Angeles-headquartered, Japanese-inspired lifestyle brand Tokidoki. Her design features chibi-style anime art, featuring a large head, blue hair and eyes and stubby arms and legs. She also wears a rosary around her neck, symbolizing Christianity, while her blue hair is said to reference the Virgin Mary’s blue head covering. Luce will serve as the face of the Holy See’s pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, representing the church’s pavilion theme, “Beauty Brings Hope.”

• What people are saying: The Vatican’s surprise announcement elicited positive and even hilarious comments from X users. One wrote, “We literally have the power of god and anime on our side.” Another quipped, “We got official Catholic anime girls before “GTA 6” [“Grand Theft Auto 6”].” Meanwhile, other artists drew their own depictions of Luce, with one captioning their art, “The power of cute compels you.”

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