The Vatican is getting down with the kids for its Jubilee 2025 celebrations by launching a new anime-style mascot for children, designed by the Italian artist Simone Legno.
The jaunty little character, known as Luce, wears a yellow hooded raincoat with a beaded rosary and was designed with the “intention of reflecting pop culture, popular among young people, and brings with it a message of hope and welcome”, said the Holy See in a statement. The man behind Luce, Legno, is also rather pleased about the Vatican collaboration. “I could never have imagined that I would bring my humble artistic contribution, pop-culture, kawaii-culture to the Holy See,” he wrote online.
But not everyone is keen on the quirky new mascot. “I think it is a deeply evil symbol and should not be viewed,” said a contributor on the social media platform X, who added: “The name Luce is very close to Lucifer and she carries a witch’s accessory.” Christ almighty!
• Jubilee 2025, from 24 December
