It has been over ten days since the Vatican officially unveiled the manga-style mascot of the Jubilee 2025, Luce, which sparked heated discussions on the Internet. I spent several days of attention to people’s opinions on the Web Luce, considering the general Chinese public attitude towards Christianity; I came up with a viewpoint: Luce presents an opportunity to change the negative perception of Christianity among the masses, especially young people. The benefits of the mascot far outweigh the drawbacks.
Imagine two types of young people who have not delved deeply into Christianity. When religion is mentioned, one group might immediately think of "notorious pedophilic priests"; the remark, “how many divisions does God have” (evolved from the often quoted Stalin’s remark, “how many divisions does the Pope have”, a modern Chinese sarcasm on Christianity, translator’s note); and other scandalous news about Christianity. The other group might first envision an anime girl from the Vatican who is blue-haired, wears a yellow anorak, and holds the pilgrim’s staff. It is evident that the latter group is less likely to attack Christianity, and will be easier to disseminate the gospel to than the former.
The malice towards Christianity exhibited by the first group is prevalent in the Chinese cyber environment, which is atheist; most non-Christian Chinese young people receive negative news about Christianity. As the influence and attention of Christmas decline in China, negative messages have helped form the first impression of Christianity for an increasing number of them. If when Christianity is mentioned and most young people only associate it with omnipotence paradoxes, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or pedophilic priests, how can the gospel be spread?
All this may change due to Luce’s viral popularity, at least diluting the impact of negative news on Christianity. Most people are aware that both Catholics and Protestants believe in Jesus. Therefore, although Luce is a mascot introduced by the Catholic Church, she can not only change the public’s perception of Catholicism but also alter the negative impression of the entire Christian faith. Regardless of how older generations see it, the fact is that ACG ("Animation, Comics, and Games") is now a popular culture of this era, exerting a tremendous influence on the young generation. It is no longer as simple as cartoons are just for children. Otherwise, why would the Catholic Church, an “old fossil” as some claim, venture into the manga world to attract young people? As Luce becomes popular in the manga community, her religious character will also be known. Over time, Luce will subtly become the first impression of Christianity for many non-Christian young people. This move by the Vatican is “divinely made” for all Christian denominations.
Two phenomena, which are worth noting, have emerged in the ten days since the Vatican launched Luce. One is the “power of the Holy See.” Many foreign websites have taken down the pornographic fan art of Luce and banned the accounts of posters. The Catholic Church has used its “power” to declare that Luce is different from other manga characters and has special significance. Meanwhile, a small segment of voices in China claims that the image of Luce should be respected, and these individuals are not all Christians. Another phenomenon is that Luce’s introduction coincides with the repeated cancellations of performances by the transgender artist Jin Xing, who demonstrated a six-colored rainbow flag representing gay equal rights after a previous performance. Jin Xing’s actions aroused widespread condemnation among Chinese netizens, leading to the creation of more images such as Luce that have “divinely refining fire.” In the future, images of Luce may become one of the emoji used by young people who do not acknowledge homosexuality as a means to express their “anti-homo” stance.
I believe that in the future Luce will, to a certain extent, represent the image of Christianity on the Internet. The church should seize this opportunity to participate, dilute the malice towards Christianity online, and better integrate with young people. As Archbishop Rino Fisichella stated at a press conference, Luce was inspired by the hope of the church that its culture could endure among young people. I advise young and capable individuals to engage in fan art re-creation to prevent this field from being occupied by people with ulterior motives, leading to pornographic content, deconstruction, or homosexuality. To those who are less so I suggest using positive images online, advocating decent re-created images, and reporting any encountered pornographic images because your voice is power.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a believer at a church in Zhejiang. )
- Translated by Charlie Li
