Danica Davidson
November 5, 2024 
In a move to reach the younger generations, the Vatican recently revealed its own anime mascot, a girl named Luce (Italian for “Light”). Archbishop Rino Fisichella explained that the mascot was “created from the desire to enter into the world of pop culture, so beloved by our young people.” But the people behind Luce might not have foreseen another part of pop culture: the wilds of the internet. Within days of her debut, Luce has become a hentai sensation online.
Some of the explicit artwork filling up the internet looks hand-drawn, but it seems quite a bit of it is AI-produced. One person using Civitai to make sexy AI images of Luce wrote beforehand, “Lord forgive me for what I am about to do.”
Another person involved in making the AI Luce hentai art remarked, “If you came here for what everyone else came here for, then you won’t be disappointed.”
A quick, unfiltered search on the internet can bring up a lot of images of Luce doing unsaintly things, often while still wearing her cross necklace. Rule 34 is going crazy with it.
In all fairness, there’s also a lot of family friendly Luce fanart popping up on the internet, but we all know which of these two genres is going to get more interest. And, in its own ironic way, it might get more people to learn about Luce’s existence in ways her creators never would have guessed.
Despite what’s going on online, the mascot is meant to symbolize a pilgrim, and she’s supposed to bring the theme of hope. The raincoat she wears partly symbolizes the “journey through life’s storms.” How successful Luce will be in her missions has yet to be seen, though it’s fair to say she’s already been successful at catching people’s attention.
Source: 404 Media, Latin Times
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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