Pope Francis’ recent death shocked the world, but it also triggered unexpected financial ripples. $luce is a Solana meme symbol associated with the Vatican’s 2025 mascot, soaring 80% to a market cap of $14.7 million. This phenomenon emphasizes the growth of pop culture and cryptocurrency markets.
Shocking events have made $luce soar
Sudden 80% surge LuceMeme symbols on the Solana blockchain associated with the Holy Year mascot can be traced back to a major global event: the death of Pope Francis at 88, as reported by the BBC on April 21, 20025.
The Vatican announced the news, revealing that the pope had passed away after being hospitalized earlier this year. His death caused shock waves to the Catholic community and beyond. Despite the world’s mourning, the cryptocurrency market responded quickly, with $luce (inspired by the Vatican Jubilee Mascot 2025) achieving a massive price increase.
Source: dexscreener
$luce is the official official mascot of the symbol of hope, actively attracting young audiences through popular culture. Additionally, $luce was previously listed on the Binance Alpha market. After the news, its market value soared to $14.7 million, reflecting the sensitivity of the cryptocurrency market to real-world events.
This spike is consistent with the volatile nature of the meme coin, which usually thrives with hype and emotion rather than inherent value. The emotional resonance of Pope Francis’ pass, coupled with the symbolic link between $luce and the Vatican, creates the perfect storm for speculative trade, pushing its value upwards.
How Popular Culture Secretly Takes Over Cryptocurrency
The surge in $luce is a clear example of how popular culture is increasingly affecting the crypto market, a trend that has been growing in recent years. Meme coins like $luce take inspiration from cultural phenomena, embodying this intersection. According to Blockapps Inc.’s 2024 report, Meme coins blur the line between Internet humor, community sentiment and financial speculation, often driven by viral trends and online communities. However, the unexpected consequence is to create a meme token with this cultural symbolic capital, indicating the speed at which popular culture can penetrate financial markets.
The intersection of pop culture and cryptocurrencies has led to several notable market trends, similar to the 80% spike after Pope Francis’ death in April 2025. DogeIt started with a joke in 2013, inspired by the “Governor” meme, but soared in 2021 thanks to Elon Musk’s approval. Musk’s tweet, like a January 2021 titled “Doge”, triggered a 20% price increase in minutes, driving Dogecoin’s peak at $0.73 and a market cap of $90 billion by May.
Source: TradingView
Another case is Shiba Inu Hebrewlaunched in 2020 as the “Dogecoin killer”. It took advantage of the same Shiba INU meme culture and viral social media hype on platforms like Reddit, and eventually reached a market cap of $39 billion in October 2021. These cases (such as $luce) show how cultural phenomena (whether there is a meme or celebrity influence) can drive speculative crypto prosperity.
