Unofficial LUCE Meme Coin Spikes 134% Following False Rumors of Pope Francis’ Death

A satirical cryptocurrency tied to Pope Francis, LUCE, experienced a sudden 134% price surge amid unverified social media speculation about the pontiff’s death. The meme coin’s volatility highlights the crypto market’s sensitivity to viral narratives, even when based on unfounded claims.

In the past week, the token has gone down nearly 40%. It had recently received a major boost after the Vatican confirmed Pope Francis had died of double pneumonia on April 21 at around 7:35 AM local time, according to Reuters.

Just a day prior, Pope Francis made his first public appearance since being discharged from a 38-day hospital stay for pneumonia. On Easter Sunday, he offered a special blessing for the first time since Christmas.

Pope Francis’ death has also led to an increase in Solana-based meme coins inspired by the recently-deceased Pope. According to data from GMGN.Ai, a meme coin called Francis was launched just an hour ago, and has gone up more than 115%.

Other meme coins found within the lineup of new tokens include POPE, RIP POPE, and simply RIP with a picture of the deceased-Pope.