Original author: Courtney Mares
Original translation: TechFlow
Ahead of the 2025 Jubilee, the Vatican has unveiled a cartoon mascot who was officially unveiled on Monday as a symbol of joy for the Catholic Churchs upcoming holy year.
The mascot, named Luce - which means light in Italian - is designed to appeal to younger audiences and guide visitors during the Holy Year.
Vatican Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who is in charge of organizing the jubilee, said the mascot was part of the Vaticans desire to engage with popular culture that young people love.
This week, the mascot will make his debut at Italy’s prestigious Lucca Comics and Gaming Convention, where the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of the Church will have a section dedicated to “Luce and Friends.”
This will be the first time the Vatican will participate in the comics convention. Fisichella, who is acting director of the Congregation for the Propagation of the New Evangelization, said that by participating in the convention he hopes to be able to discuss with the younger generations the theme of hope, which is more important than ever in the Gospel message.
Wearing a yellow raincoat, muddy boots and a pilgrims cross, Luces mission is to lead young pilgrims towards hope and faith, accompanied by her faithful dog Santino. The shells that twinkle in her eyes are reminiscent of the scallop shells of the Camino de Santiago, a symbol of the pilgrimage.
Speaking next to a plastic model of Luce during an Oct. 28 Vatican news conference, Fisichella described Luces shining eyes as a symbol of hope in the heart.
He said Luce will also be the face of the Vatican Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan, where she will present the pavilions theme, Beauty Brings Hope, alongside Caravaggios Entombment of Christ, which will be on loan from the Vatican Museums.
Simone Legno, co-founder of Italian pop culture brand tokidoki, designed Luce and her pilgrim friends - Fe, Xin and Sky, all wearing brightly coloured jackets.
On October 28, 2024, the Vatican unveiled the official mascot for the Catholic Jubilee of 2025: Luce, which means light in Italian
Photo credit: Simone Legno/tokidoki/Vatican Media
Luces yellow sailors raincoat symbolizes the Vatican flag and the storms of lifes journey. Her muddy boots represent the long and difficult journey, while her walking stick symbolizes the pilgrimage to eternity.
Legno said he has always loved Japanese pop culture and hopes that Luce can represent the emotions that resonate with the younger generation.
“I am very grateful that the Congregation for Evangelization also opens its doors to popular culture,” he said.
In the Catholic Church, a Jubilee is a special holy year of grace and pilgrimage. It is usually celebrated every 25 years, but the pope can declare special jubilees more often, such as the Year of Mercy in 2016 and the Year of Faith in 2013.
To mark the jubilee, the Vatican has planned a series of cultural events, including a concert of Shostakovichs Fifth Symphony on Nov. 3 and an exhibition of Marc Chagalls White Passion on loan from the Art Institute of Chicago at Romes Museo del Corso from Nov. 27 to Jan. 27.
The Jubilee Year will officially begin on Christmas Eve 2024 with the opening of the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica, and some 30 million pilgrims are expected to visit Rome by the end of the Holy Year on January 6, 2026.
