The Vatican has announced a new “official mascot” named Luce.
Her name means “light” and she is the talisman for Jubilee 2025, the holy year of pilgrimage announced by Pope Francis last May. Its motto is “Pilgrim of Hope.” That's why Luce is wearing a raincoat and muddy boots.
She leads a group of similarly dressed friends on a pilgrimage. The first stop will be the Lucca Comics and Games convention in Italy this week, where “the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization will host a space dedicated to Luce and Friends.” Catholic News Agency said this was “the first time that a Vatican bishopric has participated.” At a manga convention. '' The manga-like anime character will also highlight the Papal Pavilion in Osaka at next year's Expo 2025.
Archbishop Lino Fisichella, the Vatican's Jubilee organizer, unveiled the blue-haired, soulless-eyed cutie at a press conference on Monday. He explained that Luce is part of the Vatican's support for youth and seeks to participate in “pop culture that is loved by the youth of our country.”
Ruth and friends
Her friends are a purple-haired Chinese girl named Shin and two boys, Fe, a Hispanic name, and African names. All of their names are gender-neutral, and ComicBook.com's Megan Peters doesn't forget that fact. He wrote, “From her big eyes to her rosary, Luce is absolutely adorable…” (emphasis added). , Continue assuming there are two boys and two girls.
The boys are wearing pants. The girls' legs are bare, and Shin has one knee bandaged. The escalope shells in their eyes mimic the Templar icon familiar to pilgrims at the Shrine of St. James in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Each carries a staff, or forked staff, and is commonly associated with the horned god of magic. The characters wear jackets in various colors of the rainbow, and rainbow-colored rosaries hang around their necks. This color is not surprising, considering that the artist who designed Luce and Friends is Simone Regno. His company, Tokidoki, sells “Pride” products and celebrates “Pride Month.”
“Teach people how to love each other no matter their differences!” gushes the company’s website. “Tokidoki spreads the light of love to the world!”
This is not the only time observers have linked the Vatican's 2025 Jubilee push to LBGTQ activism. This event logo is
Italian journalist Mario Adinolfi commented: “This is the Jubilee 2025 logo. But damn, is it Jubilee or Gay Pride? Did they really have to choose a rainbow for the logo?” has a small monotone emblem).
anime and trance movement
Additionally, there is a surprising connection between anime and the transgender movement. Dr. Ray Blanchard, a Canadian psychologist and former professor at the University of Toronto, had himself canceled on social media in 2018 for suggesting the relationship, but his credentials include the American Psychiatric Association's Gender Identity Disorder. His work includes serving on subcommittees for the United Nations and as a member of the World Association of Professionals. Transgender Health Association. Specifically, he once retweeted this post and recommended it as an “essay on the possible relationship between anime, gender dysphoria, and self-feminizing tendencies.” This article starts out innocuous enough. “People who spend a lot of time discussing transgender people sooner or later identify as transgender, are obsessed with anime, use anime girls as their social media avatars, and share memes.” You'll notice that there are a ton of young men who do things related to cute anime girls and more. ”
The backlash was swift and harsh, and Blanchard responded sarcastically: I had no idea that a gloomy comic about adolescent girls symbolized the hopes and dreams of so many strong young people. ”
Blanchard couldn't defend herself by mentioning the number of LGBTQ characters in anime (see examples here, here, and here). Maybe I would have done that if it hadn't been cancelled.
Ruth is currently stirring up a series of controversies on social media. Below are some examples and feel free to leave a comment.
