Evil incarnate? Not everyone is convinced that Luce truly embodies Catholic values Courtesy of Simone Legno
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
