Vatican to Take Part in Comics Festival in Italy With Anime Mascot to Promote Church

The Vatican press service has unveiled a new anime-style mascot for the church, named Luce. The cartoon character became a pilgrimage mascot and will be presented at the Italian comic book festival. This was reported by Vatican News.

Luce's design was developed by Italian artist Simone Legno, the creator of the tokidoki brand, which specialises in creating Japanese-style items and toys.

The character was created specifically for the Jubilee 2025 (Holy Year 2025), a Catholic pilgrimage event celebrated around the world every 25 years. Pilgrims will be able to arrive in Rome and cross the ‘Holy Door’ to have all their sins forgiven by God.

This way, the anime character is used to attract the attention of a younger audience. Lucca will be presented to the audience for the first time from 30 October to 3 November at Lucca Comics & Games 2024. This is one of the largest comic, anime and gaming festivals in Italy. This is the first time the Vatican is taking part in it.

In 2025, a mascot similar to Lucca will travel to Osaka and the World Expo to represent the Italian pavilion. The character will have a slightly modified look, wearing a kimono and long hair. The theme of the exhibition is ‘Designing a future society for our lives’.

Luce (Italian for ‘light’) is a pilgrim character wearing a yellow hooded cloak (a reference to the Vatican flag) and muddy boots. The mascot wears a cross around his neck and holds a pilgrim's staff in his hand.