The death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday triggered a wave of activity in the crypto markets and prediction platforms, as traders and bettors sought to profit from the news. Luce, a meme token on Solana named after a cartoon mascot for the upcoming Holy Year of the Vatican in 2025, surged over 200 percent yesterday.
The token was trading at a price of $0.02, and its daily trading volume increased to 60.27 million dollars from $5 million the day before news of the pope’s death hit headlines worldwide.
Despite warnings that it is unofficial and unconnected, Luce attracted approximately 44,800 holders. It remains down about 95 percent from its peak in November of $0.30.
Conclave Bets
In the Roman Catholic tradition, when a pope dies or resigns, the cardinals gather to elect a successor through a secret ballot known as a papal conclave. As a result, prediction markets have sprung up around the prospects of the papal succession. On Polymarket, bettors have placed Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin in the lead with a probability of 34 percent. He is followed by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle at 23 percent, and Italian Cardinal and Archbishop Matteo Zuppi at 10 percent.
