The recent passing of Pope Francis shocked the world, but it also triggered an unexpected financial ripple. $LUCE, a Solana-based meme token tied to the Vatican’s Holy Year 2025 mascot, surged 80%, reaching a $14.7M market cap. This phenomenon highlights the growing intersection of pop culture and cryptocurrency markets.

The Shocking Event That Sent $LUCE Surging

The sudden 80% surge of LUCE, a meme token on the Solana blockchain related to the mascot of the holy year, can be traced to a significant global event: the passing of Pope Francis at age 88, as reported by the BBC on April 21, 2025.

The Vatican announced the news, revealing that the Pope had passed away after his 38-day hospitalization earlier in the year. His death sent shockwaves through the Catholic community and beyond. While the world mourned, the crypto market reacted swiftly, with $LUCE—a token inspired by the Vatican’s 2025 Jubilee Year mascot—experiencing a dramatic price increase.

Source: DEXScreener

$LUCE, the official Holy Year mascot symbolizing hope, actively engages younger audiences through pop culture. Additionally, $LUCE was previously listed on Binance Alpha Market. Following the news, its market cap soared to $14.7M, reflecting the crypto market’s sensitivity to real-world events.

This spike aligns with the volatile nature of meme coins, which often thrive on hype and sentiment rather than intrinsic value. The emotional resonance of Pope Francis’ passing, combined with $LUCE’s symbolic connection to the Vatican, created a perfect storm for speculative trading, driving its value upward.

How Pop Culture Is Secretly Taking Over Crypto

The $LUCE surge is a clear example of how pop culture increasingly influences the crypto market, a trend that has been growing in recent years. Meme coins like $LUCE, which draw inspiration from cultural phenomena, exemplify this intersection. According to a 2024 report by BlockApps Inc., meme coins blur the lines between internet humor, community sentiment, and financial speculation, often driven by viral trends and online communities. However, the unintended consequence was the creation of a meme token that capitalized on this cultural symbol, showing how quickly pop culture can infiltrate financial markets.

The intersection of pop culture and cryptocurrency has led to several notable market surges, similar to $LUCE’s 80% spike following Pope Francis’ passing in April 2025. An example is Dogecoin DOGE, which began as a 2013 joke inspired by the “Doge” meme but soared in 2021 due to Elon Musk’s endorsements. Musk’s tweets, like one in January 2021 captioned “Doge,” triggered a 20% price jump within minutes, propelling Dogecoin to a peak of $0.73 and a $90 billion market cap by May.

Source: TradingView

Another case is Shiba Inu SHIB, launched in 2020 as a “Dogecoin killer.” It leveraged the same Shiba Inu meme culture and viral social media hype on platforms like Reddit, eventually reaching a $39 billion market cap in October 2021. These cases, like $LUCE, show how cultural phenomena—whether memes or celebrity influence—can drive speculative crypto booms.

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