The Pope's death has sparked a wave of speculation, with LUCE briefly rising over 200%.

On the morning of April 21, the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis, the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, died at the age of 88. Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the morning of the 21st on a television program in the Vatican, "Dear brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I announce the death of our Pope Francis. At 7:35 a.m., Pope Francis returned to the kingdom of the Lord. He has spent his life serving the Lord and the Church."

This news quickly attracted global attention, not only touching the faith of 1.4 billion Catholics but also affecting the cryptocurrency market. The person has passed away, and the crypto community has its unique way of memorializing—issuing and speculating on related meme coins. Below are several tokens with high trading volumes within the last 24 hours.

The first to react was the Meme coin LUCE, named after the Vatican mascot. In order to promote the 2025 "Holy Year" celebration, the Vatican launched the two-dimensional mascot "Luce" (meaning "light") in October 2024. Its design combines religious symbols with modern pop culture: the yellow raincoat symbolizes the Vatican flag, the muddy rain boots represent the hardships of pilgrimage, the shell staff signifies "enlightenment and hope," and the pet dog Santino symbolizes loyalty, attracting the younger generation's attention to Catholic culture. Subsequently, the same-named Meme coin on the Solana chain was born, with its market cap once soaring to 362M USD, becoming the first cryptocurrency deeply tied to a religious theme.

After the news was released, LUCE quickly surged in a short period of time, with its market value increasing from 9.08M USD to 28.19M USD in 45 minutes, a rise of up to 210.46%. However, due to a lack of follow-up growth momentum, the market value fell back after reaching its peak, and is currently around 16M USD.

It is worth noting that three days ago, it was suspected that the LUCE whale / market maker abandoned the market, causing the LUCE token to plummet by 80% in an instant. Now, under the influence of the death news, LUCE has rapidly surged again, and the author can only sigh at the unpredictability of the world.

The FRANCIS token is named after Pope Francis, and shortly after the announcement, its market value exceeded 5 million USD, but it has now significantly dropped to around 600K USD. This token is a typical example of short-term speculation driven by the "celebrity effect," lacking fundamental support and relying solely on sentiment, which quickly returns to zero as enthusiasm wanes.

In addition, the focus of speculation has shifted to the next papal candidate, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who has become the center of attention. As the Italian Catholic bishop and Vatican Secretary of State, he facilitated the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba and the agreement between the Vatican and China, making him a pragmatic candidate. A token named "POPE" once had a market value exceeding one million dollars, but due to the unclear election results and fading market sentiment, it largely returned to zero. Furthermore, potential candidates' tokens, such as those from Tagle in the Philippines and Turkson in Ghana, also saw brief activity but ultimately fell silent.

The passing of Pope Francis is a significant event in global religion, and it has also become a hot topic for speculation in the cryptocurrency market. The short-term frenzy and rapid collapse of different coins reflect the essence of meme coin speculation: high risk, high return, but lacking a foundation. Investors should adhere to the principle of caution and treat "emotions and trends" rationally, and not be driven by temporary feelings or FOMO to chase prices.

During his papacy, Pope Francis not only focused on those fleeing war and hunger but also on those trapped in poverty, earning him the title of "Pope of the People." He fought against illness throughout his life with courage and humor, growing from a childhood of poverty in Buenos Aires to become the leader of the Catholic Church with 1.3 billion followers, becoming the 266th pope. As this pope, who tirelessly advocated for peace and justice, has passed away, we hope that regardless of how the market consumes and speculates, we can solemnly wish him—safe travels.

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