Vatican unveils Jubilee Year mascot ‘Luce’ created by pro-LGBT artist

(LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican has unveiled an official animated mascot for the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025 in an apparent attempt to appeal to more young people.

Revealed at a press conference Monday, the mascot is a female pilgrim named Luce (light) who has blue hair and wears a yellow raincoat, muddy boots, carries a staff, and, most notably, a rainbow-colored rosary around her neck. The character was created by Italian artist Simone Legno, whose company Tokidoki has promoted LGBT “Pride” month with materials similar in style to the newly released Vatican mascot. 

NEW: Vatican unveils the official mascot for 2025 Jubilee year, as prep increases & pre-Jubilee events approach.

It’s designed by Tokidoki creator Simone Legno, who highlights his Italian Catholic heritage. His company promotes Pride month. pic.twitter.com/9NM5IV6MtK

— Michael Haynes 🇻🇦 (@MLJHaynes) October 28, 2024

In addition to Luce, there are three other mascots – Fe, Xin, and Sky – who don the other three colors on the Jubilee’s logo: red, green, and blue. Together, they make up “Luce and friends.”  

A Jubilee Year is a special year of pilgrimage and grace in which the Catholic faithful have unique opportunities to gain a plenary indulgence. The 2025 Jubilee Year will occur from December 24, 2024, through January 6, 2026, with the theme of “Spes non Confundit,” or “hope does not disappoint.” 

The Vatican press release explained that Luce’s yellow raincoat and muddy boots symbolize her long journey through storms as a pilgrim, and the bright seashells in Luce’s eyes symbolize the Light of God.  

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and organizer of the Jubilee, said during Monday’s press conference that Luce’s shining eyes are a “symbol of hope in the heart.”  

The archbishop noted that the dicastery will showcase “Luce and Friends” at this year’s Lucca Comics and Games convention for video games, comic books, and fantasy in Italy and again next year at the Holy See’s pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan. 

Fisichella also emphasized that the mascot was created to draw more young people into the Church through “pop culture.” He hoped that having exhibits at these expos “will allow us to speak to younger generations about the theme of hope, which is more central than ever in the evangelical message,” while adding that the mascot underscores the Church’s will “to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth.” 

Simone Legno, the Italian artist behind “Luce and Friends” and Tokidoki co-founder, echoed Fisichella’s sentiments about the Jubilee year as a “unique opportunity” for the Church to engage with young people.  

“The Jubilee is undoubtedly a unique opportunity for encounter and dialogue for millions of people, including many young people. I hope that the pilgrim Luce can represent the sentiments that resonate in the hearts of the younger generations,” Legno said.  

The artist also wrote about being raised Catholic in the press release. “I grew up in Rome in a Catholic family, where I learned the principles of a faith grounded in generosity and respect for others,” Legno said.  

Despite growing up Catholic, Legno’s company, Tokidoki, has previously endorsed “LGBT pride,” selling “pride”-themed merchandise such as digital wallpapers, “art,” and hats on its website. 

This is not the first time Pope Francis’s Vatican has appeared to promote pro-LGBT artwork. In 2022, the Synod on Synodality’s social media accounts posted images that showed an individual wearing a t-shirt with the word “pride” written in rainbow letters standing next to a woman dressed as a priest. Another image seemed to show the phrase “Catholic Identity” juxtaposed with “LGBTQ+ Identity.” Cardinal Mario Grech defended the artwork, saying it was simply part of being a “listening church.” 

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