Who is Luce, the Roman Catholic mascot?

The year 2025 is a year of Jubilee in the Roman Catholic Church. The theme is “Pilgrims of Hope.” Marketing for this celebration includes a cartoon-style mascot reflecting the “chibi” subset of anime: comics and animation styles originating in Japan. The mascot has drawn both praise and criticism for its design. It has also generated controversy because of the chosen name: Luce. Some see in this a reference to Lucifer, a traditional name associated with Satan. However, the Jubilee mascot and the devil are not connected in any meaningful way.

Lucifer is used in the Latin Vulgate translation of Isaiah 14:12. The original Hebrew term in that verse is helēl’. Other translations render this same word as “morning star,” “Day Star,” or “shining star.” In Latin, Lucifer literally means “light bearer.” This was the name given to the planet Venus—which is also called the “morning star.” Despite the word Lucifer only being used once in all of Scripture, it has become what is possibly the most popular “given name” for Satan in Western culture. John Milton famously used this name for Satan in his epic poem Paradise Lost, as did Dante in his Inferno.

The 2025 Catholic Jubilee mascot is named using the Italian and Latin word for “light:” luce, pronounced “LOO-chay.” This is in the grammatical form indicating a place or type of action. Luce could also be interpreted as an adverb, as in “by daylight.” The Latin root word is the only connection between the mascot Luce and Satan.

Language aside, criticisms that the mascot is a deliberate reference to Satan are bizarre. Got Questions strongly disagrees with Catholic theology and practice. The Catholic interpretation of a Jubilee year is unbiblical. Especially troubling is the Jubilee’s emphasis on earning indulgences to “pay down” divine punishments for one’s sins. Yet there’s no reason to think the Roman Catholic Church would overtly celebrate Satan. Other criticisms, such as the design and style of Luce, are matters of preference with no essential biblical arguments one way or the other.