For those who are not familiar with Catholic ecumenism, the Jubilee is a “year of expiation”, a holy year that occurs every 25 years and consists of a pilgrimage to the Roman basilicas of St Peter and St Paul, where all participants can receive a plenary indulgence.
According to OreP, Osservatorio PNNR Giubileo Roma, the pilgrims coming to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee will boost the city’s tourism indicators to an estimated 35 million tourists, compared to 13 million in 2023, and to €16.7 million in tourist expenditure, an outstanding growth of 87%.
With such a massive scale, it may come as no surprise that the event, albeit a religious one, would be empowered by modern marketing and communication techniques, but what Archbishop Rino Fisichella unveiled last week is quite stunning.
“Luce”, the mascot of the 2025 Jubilee, is the character expressly designed by Simone Legno, founder of Tokidoki, the artist well known in the licensing and collaboration business ecosystem for its kawaii, cute characters imbued with the aesthetics of Japanism. The decision to create a mascot like Luce is part of a wider context aimed at reaching new generations and promoting intergenerational dialogue. The Vatican’s intention in commissioning Simone Legno to create him is clearly to engage young people through pop culture references and to spread its message in the most contemporary and effective way.
Simone Legno has done a great job, interpreting in his own way what is not an easy task. Luce (a woman!) is a pilgrim dressed as a typical traveller: a yellow anorak to protect her from the elements, dirty boots that bear witness to the path she has already walked, a missionary cross around her neck and a pilgrim’s staff in her hand. Particularly evocative are Luce’s eyes, which shine with an intense light, symbolising hope and reflecting the desire for spirituality and connection with the divine.
As the Jubilee ambassador, the mascot is also a symbol of community, welcome and sharing, and that’s why Simone Legno has included Luce’s friends in the package to accompany her on her journey.
“To be honest, I never imagined that I would bring my humble artistic contribution, pop culture, kawaii culture, to the Holy See”. Simone Legno explains on his Instagram profile. “I am very grateful to the Dicastery for Evangelisation for opening its doors to my art.”