The Vatican has introduced its pop culture-inspired mascot "Luce" for the Holy Year 2025.

Meaning "light" in Italian, Luce is intended to engage younger audiences and guide visitors through the Holy Year, according to the Vatican's chief organizer for the jubilee, Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

Fisichella described Luce as part of the Vatican's goal to engage with "the pop culture so beloved by our young people."

Clad in a yellow raincoat (which references the Vatican flag), mud-stained boots, and a pilgrim's cross, Luce's mission is to guide young pilgrims toward hope and faith with her dog Santino at her side.

Simone Legno is the artist behind Luce and Friends for the Dicastery for Evangelization, and he hopes that pilgrim Luce and her traveling friends (Fe, Xin, and Sky) can represent the sentiments that resonate in the hearts of the younger generations.

"To be honest, I could never have imagined that I would bring my humble artistic contribution, pop culture, [and] kawaii culture to the Holy See. I am extremely grateful to the Dicastery for Evangelization for opening its doors to my art," Legno said in an Instagram post.

Legno is the creator of Tokidoki, a lifestyle brand created in 2006 based on the whimsical world of Japanese pop culture characters that appear on products such as apparel, bags, accessories, and toys.

According to the Catholic News Agency, Luce will debut this week at the Lucca Comics and Games, Italy's celebrated convention for all things comics, video games, and fantasy.

Luce will also be the face of the Holy See's pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka.

A jubilee, which takes place once every 25 years, is a special holy year of grace and pilgrimage in the Catholic Church.

The jubilee year will begin with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve, welcoming an anticipated 30 million pilgrims in Rome by the time the Holy Year ends on 6 January 2026.