The New Mascot for the Vatican takes the spotlight

Next year is  the Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church, and the Vatican decided to design a new mascot for the Church.

Her name is Luce, which translates to ”light” in Italian. Luce is designed to appeal to the youth with her cute and cartoon-like appearance.

She was designed by Simone Legno, the creator behind the brand Tokidoki, and is inspired by Japanese art and the graffiti style. His art is widely known for being cute and loved by the youth and teens for its simple designs and bright colors.

Archbishop Fisichella says that Luce is a representation of what the Church desires, “to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth.”

Tons of Catholic symbolism were intertwined with her appearance, some subtle while some more apparent. Her yellow coat and muddy boots are supposed to represent pilgrimage and perseverance through a tough journey. The yellow of her jacket calls back to the HOLY SEE flag and one of the colors of the Jubilee logo. Her coat also includes the official Jubliee logo on the chest. Her walking stick, or Bordone, alludes back to the pilgrimage life and the journey towards eternity. Luce also has rosary beads around her neck, correlating to a life filled with deep prayer. The shell design in her eyes is a symbol that represents the way of the Cathedral as well as the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.

Luce also has some friends to go along with her. There are Fe, Xin, and Sky and they all share a similar design to Luce but still have their unique characteristics. Fe means ‘Faith’ in Soanush and Xin means “truth” in Japanese.

There have been mixed reactions to the introduction of Luce, some find her cute and fun for the Vatican to create a character like her, and some feel that Luce isn’t providing much for the Catholic Church. Though there has been some backlash to Luce, there seem to be a lot more people who seem to enjoy Luce and can’t wait to see more of her!