Vatican City has just unveiled its newest mascot: Luce. Luce, the Catholic church’s new kid-friendly mascot, is aimed at getting the younger generation interested in the church while still holding on to their values. The church spared no expense when it came to creating their new mascot by employing the help of Simone Legno creator of the Tokidoki brand.  

Luce was first introduced into the world by Salvatore “Rino” Fisichella for the 2025 Catholic Church Jubilee; he said Luce was inspired by the Catholic Church’s desire “to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth”. Luce was originally revealed at the Holy See at Lucca Comics & Games in 2024. This was the first time that the Vatican officially participated in a comic convention. After the unveiling of Luce many took to this character leading to the creation of meme, fan art, and cosplay. Many people also notice that Luce shares similar features to some anime characters such as Rei from “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, Bulma/Buruma’s “Dragonball Super”, and Ai from “Wonder Egg Priority.” Even the director of Lucca Comics & Games, Emanuele Vietina, mentioned how Luce has similar characteristics to the character Arale Norimaki from “Dr. Slump.”  

But there’s more to Luce’s design than just bearing a resemblance to some other characters. Hidden in Luce’s design are some pretty interesting symbols like Luce’s staff which represents “the pilgrimage toward eternity”, her mud-stained boots to represent “a long and difficult journey”, and the scallop shells in her eyes which reflect the traditional symbol of Catholic pilgrimage. 

Luce make her final debut Vatican’s mascot at the 2025 Jubilee in Osaka, Japan, where she will be used to promote the theme of “Beauty Brings Hope.” Will Luce continue to be the church’s mascot or will she be replaced with something else? It’s yet to be seen.