The Vatican has caused quite a stir among members of the Catholic Church after revealing “Luce” on Monday, which is its new mascot for Jubilee Year in 2025, which has put forth a mission of attempting to reach younger folk with the teaching of the Church through pop culture. However, what’s really problematic for many is that the art was created by a pro-LGBTQ artist, Simone Legno.
Also, for a very weird reason, many of the more “traditional” Catholics seem to have a deep seated hatred for all things related to anime. I sort of understand. There’s a lot in the artform that is twisted and wrong, much like any other form of entertainment. However, there is also content within anime that is beautiful and supports traditional values of family and relationships between a man and a woman only. Manga, the Japanese version of comic books is similar.
via LifeSiteNews:
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 published a press release explaining Luce’s wardrobe, noting that her raincoat and muddy boots are symbolic of the many storms she had to pass through as a pilgrim. The character also has seashells in her eyes, which are meant as symbols of the Light of God. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization and the one who is in charge of organizing the Jubilee, referred to the eyes as being a “symbol of hope in the heart.”
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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.”
The artist who designed Luce and her friends is Simone Legno who also co-founded Tokidoki agreed with Fisichella’s take about the Jubilee year being a “unique opportunity” for the Catholic Church to extend their reach with young folk.
“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 went on to say about Luce. Legno also revealed in the statement that he was raised Catholic, saying, “I grew up in Rome in a Catholic family, where I learned the principles of a faith grounded in generosity and respect for others.”
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.”
Many Catholics will no doubt be more concerned about utilizing art from a pro-LGBT artist than the actual design of Luce and her anime friends. However, it’s important to note that an artist was hired to do a job and that’s what he did. It doesn’t mean he has to agree with the Church’s teachings. So long as he fulfilled his part of the transaction, and the Church theirs, it was simply a working relationship and nothing more.
I think we’re too eager to create controversy where there isn’t any these days. Perhaps it’s better to take some time away and sit with something new that might not be our particular taste and realize not everything is about us and our personal likes and dislikes.