The Power of God and Anime

November 1, 2024 4:37 AM

The Vatican has unveiled an official anime mascot, Luce.

As always, the internet has been quick with the memes (gallery).

Luce will feature at Expo 2025 in Osaka alongside Myaku-Myaku, a mysterious unification of cells and water whose special ability is finding a rainbow after a storm, René, a crystal creature inspired by the Bohemian glassworks of late artist René Roubíček, Australia's Ruby, just a kangaroo, and many others.

posted by lucidium (62 comments total)

is that.....is that blood on her wellies?
posted by lalochezia at 4:39 AM on November 1 [7 favorites]

They made some...unsurprising colour choices for the beads on Luce's rosary. They try to explain them away but uh...
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 4:55 AM on November 1 [8 favorites]

I am very much looking forward to Eldritch Expo 2025, where nothing bad will happen.

also, as I've observed elsewhere: Funko Pope
posted by phooky at 5:09 AM on November 1 [10 favorites]

The Vatican doesn't need an anime mascot, it needs a kaiju. I propose Friar-ra, a 80-foot tall, irradiated St. Thomas Aquinas created when a reliquary was accidentally left at a nuclear test site. He shoots beams from his eyes that can destroy schismatics and weaken anti-popes (or at least reverse their polarity).

Aw, who am I kidding? If the cardinals didn't respond to my PowerPoints, they're not going to respond to this post.
posted by PlusDistance at 5:09 AM on November 1 [56 favorites]

I love Friar-ra, but unfortunately the conservative faction on the Vatican discord is leaning more towards Popezilla [BORING]
posted by phooky at 5:14 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]

Also, Myaku-Myaku looks like a chibi Ophanim
posted by PlusDistance at 5:15 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]

> is that.....is that blood on her wellies?

Don't worry about it.
posted by lucidium at 5:18 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]

This week a lot of Catholics on Reddit learned about Rule 34.
posted by ngaiotonga at 5:29 AM on November 1 [19 favorites]

is that.....is that blood on her wellies?

TFA says it's meant to be mud:

Her basic chibi design almost looks like a Sanrio character and contains details like a yellow raincoat, mud on her boots from her journey, and a clam-shell design in her eyes that apparently represent the hope that’s born in the heart of every pilgrim.

She's just walked a pilgrimage, and that explains the raincoat and muddy boots.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:14 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

yeah that's a slaughterhouse poncho and her boots are covered in blood

(to be clear, i love her, she's perfect, i want to see her fight Tats' Jesus Man)
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:16 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

Catholicism-tan, we're going back to the 2000s!
posted by I-Write-Essays at 6:20 AM on November 1

Satire is dead.
posted by jedicus at 6:23 AM on November 1 [10 favorites]

the influence of Fátima runs wild
posted by chavenet at 6:34 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

And if priests can't lure children with this cute anime character, they'll get 'em with the candy-baited snare traps!
posted by AlSweigart at 6:36 AM on November 1 [7 favorites]

Predictably the "tradcaths" (the kind of Catholic who is still fuming about Vatican II) online have denounced this as yet another sign of the degeneration of the Church and all of Western Civilization. They are also mad (i) that Luce has a group of non-white multi-racial friend characters; (ii) at what they mistakenly believe to be her LGBQ rosary; and (iii) that the Italian firm tokidoki which designed the characters has done work promoting LGBQ events.

Meanwhile I've seen Protestants online fixating on the perceived connection between Luce and LUCIFER, proof of Catholicism's perverse evil.
posted by star gentle uterus at 6:42 AM on November 1 [8 favorites]

sorry how on earth did anyone perceive that rosary as LGBTQ colours? Colourblindness?
posted by lokta at 6:47 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]

They made some...unsurprising colour choices for the beads on Luce's rosary. They try to explain them away but uh...

Yellow for Asia, red for the Americas, white for Europe, huh

(They should update the 1950s design and add more colors like orange and purple. No need to worry that someone will draw an association with the Pride flag - just explain the completely different symbolism of the entirely coincidental colors.)
posted by trig at 6:48 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

sorry how on earth did anyone perceive that rosary as LGBTQ colours?

You see this a lot in rightwing spaces. Any grouping of colors = rainbow = gay = time to get mad.
posted by star gentle uterus at 6:50 AM on November 1 [7 favorites]

Look, I hate AI as much as the next person, but if the Catholic Church has a new anime mascot and the Pope has a prog rock album, someone needs to be putting one of these stupid computers to work ASAP uniting these things into a weird ass music video, just to try and make the last day of the work week go down a little easier.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:51 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

Okay, I know between this and the "viking karate Christ" post from yesterday, it's easy to say these gimmicky used-car salesman antics show that ALL religion is a made-up scam. BUT, the deeply cynical pandering here is just what the fringe grifter cults do.

Mainstream religions are serious theological affairs with a long, rich history of scholarly thought and research. They aren't some sports arena shakedown of the gullible. I've never even heard of this "Roman Catholicism" religion before.

Maybe I'll google them real quick. But first, I'm going take a looooong sip from my coffee...
posted by AlSweigart at 6:58 AM on November 1 [3 favorites]

My kid: "Luce, like short for Lucifer? Also why does she have blood on her boots?"
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:59 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]

There were no children available to critique the design. Fortunately.
posted by SPrintF at 7:02 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

> > sorry how on earth did anyone perceive that rosary as LGBTQ colours?

> You see this a lot in rightwing spaces. Any grouping of colors = rainbow = gay = time to get mad.

Which is why cops and right-wingers love the "thin blue line" flag. It's not possible to have a better design for American fascism. 10/10, A++++, perfect execution, I hate it.
posted by AlSweigart at 7:02 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

My kid: "Is that Catholic Coraline?"
posted by mittens at 7:04 AM on November 1 [4 favorites]

My kid: eyes rolling, head rotating, chanting backwards in Latin
posted by Reyturner at 7:15 AM on November 1 [15 favorites]

I can't find an image right now, but people were sending this around accompanied by an image from Civilization V or VI saying Japanese Empire: CULTURAL VICTORY.
posted by Pyrogenesis at 7:18 AM on November 1 [10 favorites]

The Vatican doesn't need an anime mascot, it needs a kaiju.

How about St. Mothra? Won't somebody please think of the Shobijin?
posted by y2karl at 7:30 AM on November 1 [3 favorites]

I guess I just have no idea who this is for? I don't particularly like it but I'm also unsure at whom it actually is targeted. Did anyone ask for this?
posted by an octopus IRL at 7:37 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]

Based on my Discord servers, it’s exclusively targeting 35 year old ex-Catholic trans women.
posted by brook horse at 7:41 AM on November 1 [25 favorites]

Je adore her. Gotta keep up with the times I say.
posted by Czjewel at 7:43 AM on November 1

Based on my Discord servers, it’s exclusively targeting 35 year old ex-Catholic trans women.

See this is, non-sarcastically, the kind of helpful insight that's why I visit Metafilter.
posted by an octopus IRL at 7:46 AM on November 1 [12 favorites]

I guess I just have no idea who this is for? I don't particularly like it but I'm also unsure at whom it actually is targeted.

From a tweet linked to in TFA:

"The Vatican has unveiled the official mascot of the Holy Year 2025: Luce (Italian for Light). Archbishop Fisichella says the mascot was inspired by the Church's desire "to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth.""
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:55 AM on November 1

Which is why cops and right-wingers love the "thin blue line" flag.
Remember to keep an assortment of Sharpies handy, to help them finish coloring in their DIY Pride Flag!
posted by xedrik at 7:59 AM on November 1 [6 favorites]

Hey, kids, pay no attention to the rampant misogyny and pedophilia, we're cool now! Also, could you spot us a couple bucks? All those lawsuits are really doing a number on the ol' wallet.
posted by tommasz at 8:05 AM on November 1 [8 favorites]

⑨
posted by pyramid termite at 8:39 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

My kid: "Luce, like short for Lucifer? Also why does she have blood on her boots?”

Your kid and I think alike! And I think there is a special prayer that changes mud into blood, so I can see where the confusion comes from.
posted by TedW at 8:39 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

See, this is why the Vatican shouldn't have done away with the office of advocatus diaboli. That person would've been the one to look at this and say, "Yeah, I get where you were going with 'Luce,' but people will think it's short for 'Lucifer.' And the colors are a shit idea; kill them."
posted by the sobsister at 8:54 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]

yeah it's a lower-level variant of Stone to Flesh, 4th iirc
posted by taquito sunrise at 8:55 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]

There's something awful about an organization in the middle of a decades-long child sexual abuse scandal creating marketing materials for children.
posted by Nelson at 9:04 AM on November 1 [10 favorites]

Yeah, about that timing. The release specifically this week is either particularly oblivious to optics, or particularly good for drawing attention away. From the first linked article, emphasis mine:

The kawaii character comes at a contentious time for the Catholic church. Ten years ago, the Vatican created a commission on clerical sexual abuse, and the group published its first report on Tuesday. Victims advocates criticized the commission’s findings for lacking independent verification and being “toothless,” according to a story from the New York Times [archive link]. Many victims of clergy abuse were children, so introducing a mascot aimed at young people highlights the dissonance between the Vatican’s new mascot and the clergy’s failure to protect kids.

Also, the rosary bead colours? Seriously? White for Europe, yellow for Asia, red for the Americas. Oh Vatican, never change.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:24 AM on November 1 [5 favorites]

There's something awful about an organization in the middle of a decades-long child sexual abuse scandal creating marketing materials for children.

This. I admire the marketing genius, but Luce fills me with horror on this score.
posted by doctornemo at 9:44 AM on November 1

I wonder if getting creative with this character will count as blasphemy in places that still have blasphemy laws.

Anyways, thanks The Vatican for serving us on a silver platter a new icon we can use fairly for parody and political commentary.
posted by Dr. Curare at 10:10 AM on November 1 [2 favorites]

Luce means light in Latin, so it is not totally disconnected from Lucifer (aka Light Bearer).

How about St. Mothra?

Mothra Teresa
posted by Reyturner at 10:11 AM on November 1 [22 favorites]

I thought Jesus was the Vatican's mascot.
posted by bryon at 10:31 AM on November 1 [4 favorites]

SHINING EYES, HOPE IN THE HEART.

when are they making the toys when are they making the toys
posted by corb at 11:09 AM on November 1

Look, you clearly do not understand! Any time two colors touch, it’s totally gay and an angel cries. EVERY TIME!
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:27 AM on November 1 [3 favorites]

Huh, I thought they were gonna go with Mr. Delicious.
posted by credulous at 11:58 AM on November 1 [1 favorite]

Yes, thank you this is certainly very useful.

Anyway the greatest need at present for the food bank is cereal and masa. Please check the bulletin for drop-off locations, and remember: we're the last one in town still operating. If you need service hours and want to help them sort, call...
posted by jquinby at 12:08 PM on November 1 [1 favorite]

Aw cute. I like to think that's what my mom looked like before they handed her over to the Magdelenes!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 1:19 PM on November 1 [3 favorites]

"Buddy Christ winked so Luce could dilate." - Kevin Smith on Xitter.

I also Feel the Need to Share that back about 30 years ago, when my Mom was getting education degree credits and being gathered back into the RC fold, I visited her house and immediately encountered a 2-foot-tall plush Jesus standing in her living room.
(I'm trying to find what it looked like, but the depressing plethora of 'plush Jesus' search results all seem uglier than the one I recall.)
He was wearing robes and sandals, and he looked decently designed and assembled. Mom had a sales pamphlet for it, blurbing that it was to help kids see their Creator as a friend to hug and talk to, which, I mean, there's worse nominally-Christian viewpoints of the Universe out there.

When I reminded her of it recently, she stated, 'Yes, and I know exactly where it is, and you're inheriting it when I pass."
(We share a bit of a holding-on-to-physical-items problem.)
I figure he'll get on well with my Blahaj.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:34 PM on November 1 [2 favorites]

Aside from the Catholic Church's particular child sexual abuse scandals, I think any religious indoctrination of any children is child abuse. Religion should be a topic for adults to consider and accept or reject as adults. We should censor any religious expression in public as thoroughly as we do pornography.
posted by Reverend John at 4:53 PM on November 1 [8 favorites]

tommasz: "All those lawsuits are really doing a number on the ol' wallet."

Or maybe not: How Catholics Avoided Paying Millions in Reparations in Canada
posted by sneebler at 5:10 PM on November 1 [3 favorites]

The memes have already begun.
posted by AlSweigart at 7:08 PM on November 1 [2 favorites]

we should censure religious expression in public as thoroughly as we do pornography.
posted by Reverend John

Anti-eponisterical.
posted by subdee at 11:51 PM on November 1 [3 favorites]

We should censor any religious expression in public as thoroughly as we do pornography.

I'm opposed to indoctrination, so any beliefs I don't share should be suppressed by threat of violence. Very cool and normal.
posted by pattern juggler at 9:06 AM on November 2 [1 favorite]

You should just be glad I didn't post my pronouncement in all lower case.
posted by Reverend John at 10:19 AM on November 2 [5 favorites]

Sorry if I seem a bit humorless about that sort of notion.

Where I live there is a very real de facto penalty for expressing religious beliefs that differ from the majority. Our church looks foreign enough to be targeted for vandalism and our elderly clergy have had rocks thrown at them while tending their garden in traditional religious attire. Two local communities tried to prevent mosques from being built with the full backing of the local government and required lawsuits to the state level to be reversed.

The notion doesn't become a lot more pleasant for me if I imagine the same things happening to the majority as well.
posted by pattern juggler at 10:31 AM on November 2 [6 favorites]

Religion should be a topic for adults to consider and accept or reject as adults. We should censor any religious expression in public as thoroughly as we do pornography.

Problems I have with this, in no particular order -
- children are smarter than you think and should have as much freedom as their age and maturity allow - in medical settings, the Gillick Competence framework is an explicit way of assessing whether a child is independently capable of informed consent to a medical procedure without involving their parents or guardians. A child can be Gillick competent at a very young age, illustrating that, in most ordinary circumstances, children should have quite a lot more autonomy than they are usually actually given.
- most major world religions fundamentally include children. To stay within the general realm of TFA, who is going to tell, e.g. the Catholic parents in high-child-mortality areas that their child cannot be baptized and if the child dies before the age at which they can legally access religion, too bad, so sad, gone to hell?
- who defines what counts as religion as opposed to culture? I'm currently in a country with a strong Christian influence and the number of people who sincerely believe that Christmas and Halloween are secular is staggering. (They are not secular. It's literally in the name, in both cases.) Removing all signs of religious expression from public places in a country that's been steeped in it for centuries (if you're counting - that's almost all of them) would fundamentally rewrite the culture in ways I don't think anyone would be prepared for.

It's nice to say 'religion should be restricted in bla bla ways' but that's not how humans work. Whether you like it or not, most humans, both over most of history and right now today, belong to one religion or another and do to some extent believe in their own religion.
posted by ngaiotonga at 2:32 AM on November 4 [2 favorites]

who is going to tell, e.g. the Catholic parents in high-child-mortality areas that their child cannot be baptized and if the child dies before the age at which they can legally access religion, too bad, so sad, gone to hell?

no one - catholic speculation used to say that such children would end up in limbo - now the idea is that they will either go to heaven or be given up to the mercy of god - there is no real doctrine on this but i don't know that anyone would say they're going to hell

also in cases of emergency, anyone with the correct intention can say the words and sprinkle the water and the church will recognize it as valid - and in other cases, all you need is a priest, perhaps some witnesses and some water - everything else is for show
posted by pyramid termite at 3:59 AM on November 4 [1 favorite]

Also like: we restrict pornography, but not discussion of sex and even sex ed. And there’s good reasons for that! Because in places where discussion of sex is taboo, you get pregnancies in middle schools because no one knows what the fuck they are doing. Similarly, restricting discussions of religion, religious education, and the benign practice of beginning religion with safety rails pushes children and teens into experimenting with this cool and forbidden religion into dangerous cults which are going to be way more harmful than any mainstream religion could possibly be.
posted by corb at 6:49 AM on November 4

The Vatican’s Anime Mascot Is Now an AI Porn Sensation (paywall bypass).

On Civitai, a site for sharing custom AI models and generating images, users have created at least a dozen different Luce-themed AI models specifically for generating images of the Vatican’s mascot. These models are not explicitly designed to produce adult content, but as I’ve reported previously Civitai makes it easy to modify AI models and combine them with others that are designed to produce pornographic images, and that is often what users on the site do with any AI models of any character or real person.

posted by Nelson at 10:10 AM on November 8

18th C Anticlerical pornography at least had a philosophical substructure....
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:17 PM on November 8