PopeWatch: Luce

I’ve noticed there seems to be a large gap in reception of this between Gen Z and almost every other generation. I’m on the bubble between X and Millennial and think Luce to be ridiculous even without all the troubling things associated with the agency which developed it, not to mention the other horrific uses that the darker corners of internet have inevitably brought forth. But many Zoomers find it a good thing, which I think is because they have been raised in the reality of social media in which the meme-ability of something gives it an ersatz tangibility.

For me that is the disconnect I find it difficult to surmount. I will admit that there have been some great memes of Luce that have been created, such as her(?) rescuing babies from abortion clinics, leading Templars into battle, etc. However, the unreality behind this is that there is no “there” there and thus the memes unintentionally promote what is ultimately a fake piety. Unlike a saint who had a real life upon which even legendary things could be pinned or extrapolated, Luce is completely contrived entity that exists only for the purpose of the message employed. She is in this sense content-agnostic and can become anyone and anything simply because as a meme she can serve as a vessel for one’s will. This might be taking it too far, but in this respect she is practically a trans character.

To be fair, I think that something like Luce *could* have been developed for the Jubilee and been a more positive thing. Having a mascot for the whole Jubilee is ridiculous and cringe-y, and having the agency they had develop it is deeply scandalous, but had they had practicing orthodox Catholics develop a character for children’s material named Luce who has adventures and teaches the faith and helps children understand the faith more during the Jubilee, not only would no one have batted an eye, they’d probably say “hey, that was a great idea. Good job. Can I get a plushy of Luce for my kids?”

Jason has expressed what I have been struggling to define ever since the first appearance of Luce.

She is an undefined shiny creature with no overt message and can be anything to anyone, as we have seen in the good and the bad memes.

While this shiny vagueness may mirror the worst of post V2 Catholicism, it does NOT express the sharply defined mission of Christ – to save souls from Hell.

St. Smurf deserves a high dive into the Tiber.

How about a real heroine who can actually inspire us? Jael who put a tent peg through Sisera’s skull. Judith who decapitated Holofernes. St. Joan of Arc who led the French Army into battle.