During his years as professor of fundamental theology at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, Salvatore “Rino” Fisichella was often cited by American seminarians as their favorite professor – an exponent of dynamic orthodoxy whose engaging classroom style was a blessed relief from the stolid ways of the Roman academy. Later, after Pope John Paul II issued Fides et Ratio [Faith and Reason], the 1998 encyclical that set Voltaire spinning in his grave, the joke in Rome was that, given the text’s likely drafters, the “F” and “R” in Fides and Ratio stood for “Fisichella” and “Ratzinger.” Ordained bishop in 1998 by the great Cardinal Camillo Ruini, John Paul’s Vicar for Rome, Fisichella played a key role in shaping the content of the Great Jubilee of 2000, after which he was an effective rector of the Pontifical Lateran University and an articulate advocate as president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
So what was this distinguished churchman, an able theologian and competent administrator, doing this past October 28, trying to explain at a Vatican press conference why the Jubilee of 2025 needed a mascot named “Luce” [Italian for “light”], which looked as if it had been designed in a sixth-grade art class specializing in cartooning?
Quickly browsing one commentary on “Luce,” I first thought the author had referred to the mascot as “asinine,” which was true enough; on closer inspection, however, “Luce” is something known as an “anime” character, a genre of computer-generated “art” in which cutesy personalities typically feature (according to one source I consulted) “large and emotive eyes.” That’s certainly the case with “Luce.” Even sadder, however, were the eyes of Archbishop Fisichella at that press conference, trying to make the argument that “Luce” reflected the Church’s desire “to live even within the pop culture so beloved by our youth.”
Talk about taking one for the team. But Team What?
How is dumbing down Catholicism into anime (I almost wrote “asinine”!) characters going to attract young adults to Christ? John Paul II was a pied piper for the young and he never, ever dumbed things down. He made the faith accessible, yes, but he never dumbed Catholicism down. He challenged, but he never pandered. At Westerplatte in Poland in 1987, he didn’t appeal to pop culture but to the inspiring example of young Polish soldiers who held off a German assault on that peninsula in the first week of World War II.
We have come a long way from Michelangelo’s extraordinary frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling to “Luce.” We have come an even longer way from John Paul II’s magnificent homily when the restoration of those frescoes was completed–in which the pope spoke of the Sistina as the “sanctuary of the theology of the body”–to the notion that a vaguely androgynous, although putatively female, anime character is going to bring young adults to Christ.
Jubilee 2025 is not being celebrated simply because another quarter-century has passed, and so the Holy Doors of Rome’s four papal basilicas can be opened, pilgrims can flock to the Eternal City, indulgences can be granted, and Italy’s tourism economy can go into overdrive. No, 2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, an event of absolutely critical importance for the history of Christianity. For it was at Nicaea I that the Church confronted head-on the threat of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ and thus called into question the two fundamental doctrines of the faith, the Incarnation and the Trinity. Had the Arians prevailed at Nicaea–and they had done an excellent job of propagating their heresy throughout the Mediterranean world–Christianity as we know it would not exist. The victory of the party of orthodoxy at Nicaea I is thus very much worth celebrating on this anniversary.
But with “Luce”? Please.
During the Jubilee year, perhaps the people in Rome who gave us this mascot idiocy could take a moment to reflect on the success of New Evangelization initiatives that are, in fact, bringing young adults to Christ in the United States, including vibrant campus ministries like those at Texas A&M, North Dakota State, and the University of Maryland-Baltimore County; the Dominican-run Thomistic Institute and Aquinas 101; and the youth-directed work of the Augustine Institute and Word on Fire Ministries. Dumbed-down Catholicism, wallowing in kitsch, is of interest to no one–and certainly not to a seriously inquiring young adult. Catholicism in full is, because as we were instructed a long time ago, “the truth will set you free” (Jn 8.32).
I imagine St. Athanasius and the victors at Nicaea I would agree.
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Catholic mascots? That sounds like a comedy skit on Saturday Night Live. I am sure that this was done with good intentions. But, we all know about “good intentions.”
Human vanity intending to prove superiority to “old ways” of doing things is never a “good intention.”
The anime is puerile and emblematic of this papacy from which we will be relieved in short order.
Once more, George Weigel hits the spot.
I think Weigel is totally off the mark here. Last I heard, nobody is calling for the burning down of the Sistine Chapel and replacing it with anime characters. Nobody is insisting that the Notre Dame Cathedral be rebuilt with statues representing emotive eyes and simplistic drawings. Certainly both artistic expressions can coexist and complement one another.
Having a relatable avatar in popular culture is an approach that evangelistic efforts have yet to make use of. As a father of a daughter who is steeped in anime culture, I am very pleased at the positive effect it has on her faith life. That the Church has gone out of its way to create something that is appealing to her at her age speaks volumes as to how the Church is worthy of further study. That the meme culture (which is likely very foreign to the author) has taken this image and ran with it, has provided hours of entertainment for her, and has opened up discussion on many varied topics.
“Let the children come unto Me.” is what Jesus had commanded. He didn’t take the children and begin explaining the principles of Old Testament hermeneutics. He spoke in parables, relatable stories and anecdotes that were borrowed from the culture of His day, from nature, so that nobody would be denied the Gospel due to the lack of educational degrees. Luce itself is riddled with many “Easter eggs” (hidden symbolism) that is an entry point to understanding sacred art.
All efforts of evangelism has a purpose and a target audience. To criticize anime (which, unbenownst to the author, is a hugely popular internationally-accepted subculture, a vast improvement in storytelling than what Hollywood is churning out), sounds a lot more ignorant than the author intended.
Nick Alexander: Please tell us you were speaking sarcastically. Please?
Luce=light Luce eh fer = bearer of light.
I noted Michael Knowles and some media Catholic personalities adopted Luce to use as Pro Catholic Meme. They had her holding babies running from Abortion Demons and or turning around and beating up the abortion demons. I note she has a small trad following where she is leading the Crusades and celebrating the Latin Mass.
I’ve heard some morons tried to use her as a pornography meme sparking outrage from her conservative and trad fans.
My own opinion? Meh!
I neither care about it or dinnae.
This reminds me of the old debate between CS Lewis vs Tolken. Lewis used his fantasy fiction to do religious apologetics and as an allegory to spread the faith.
Tolken didn’t much care for that as he thought evangelism was very serious & should not be made into entertainment. Granted Lord of the Rings has Catholic Themes but they are subtle but he didn’t see LOTR as a tool for Evangelism.
Anyway Luce is harmless. I am more concerned with Pope Francis saying weird stuff and blessing gay unions without blessing them and other weirdness he does.
“Luce,” mascot of dumbed-down Catholicism.
The real news is not the Mascot, but rather the recognition by Mr Weigel that post-conciliar liberal “Catholicism” is dumbed down; deserves its well-earned Luce Mascot…
George Weigel never disappoints. His insights consistently illuminate my mind, expand my appreciation for beauty and truth, and speak directly to my heart. When it comes to evangelization, I have always viewed it through the lens of the Church, acting on behalf of Jesus, with the call to ‘Come unto me.’ It is a journey from darkness into the radiant Light of the gospel and the teachings of Christ. The Savior beckoned the weak to become strong, the downtrodden to be uplifted, and the sick to be healed. In every way, Jesus transforms what we are into what we can become through Him.
Too often, I see the Church striving to conform to the world, rather than elevate it. Instead of nourishing the flock, it partakes in the mundane and the common. This is a path to spiritual starvation, mirroring the fate of progressive Christian Protestant churches that once thrived but now find their doors closed due to dwindling attendance. The truth has ceased to be proclaimed, and their congregants are left spiritually famished at the trough of inanity.
This anime is the wrong tool to use for this situation. Sure, use anime to teach gospel principals, but to be used as a logo, it falls too far short of the mark in too many ways.
Dumbing Down
Since the introduction of the Novus Ordo attendance at Mass has declined noticeably. Attendance at Latin Masses is UP. Here in Maine when I go to the Latin Mass in Lewiston I have spoken to people who come there from as far away as 100 miles or more, passing a Novus Ordo Church 5 miles from home on the way. The music? Don’t get me started on that.
You don’t dumb them down – you SMARTEN THEM UP!! CHALLENGE THEM!!!
WHY is that so difficult to understand?
For moron Luce, together with comments, here are two earlier CWR postings:
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/10/28/meet-luce-the-vaticans-cartoon-mascot-for-jubilee-2025/
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/11/03/vaticans-anime-style-mascot-luce-goes-viral-on-internet-with-catholic-memes-fan-art/
“Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt 19:14).
LUCE is wonderful. Cute, fun, joyful. Kids and teens aren’t getting a dumbed down Catholicism with such an anime character. They are being given a gift from the church who knows how to communicate with them on their level. It’s dumb to think there’s only one way (too often, old, boring, unintelligible) to inculturate the gospel.
We need to start with communications like LUCE to lead them to Lewis’s Narnia stories, and as older teens to the novels of A.J. Cronin, Edwin O’Connor, Michael O’Brien, Rumer Godden, on and on. Then they will be more open to the illumination of Augustine and Aquinas, Lonergan and Rahner, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.