An Italian teenager known as “God’s Influencer” is set to become the first millennial Catholic saint in a historic ceremony led by Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. This momentous event, taking place in St Peter’s Square, is expected to attract tens of thousands of worshippers on Sunday. The teenager, Carlo Acutis, passed away from leukaemia in 2006 at just 15 years old, and his life story has resonated with many around the globe.
Born in London in 1991 to Italian parents, Carlo Acutis spent his formative years in the northern Italian city of Milan. There, he displayed an early interest in technology, teaching himself basic coding and leveraging his computing skills to document miracles and various aspects of the Catholic faith online. His remarkable story as a “cyber-apostle” drew the attention of Catholic youth worldwide, as he was known for attending Mass daily and demonstrating kindness toward bullied children and the homeless.
On the day of Carlo’s canonization, his body rests in a glass-walled tomb located in Assisi, a medieval city and significant pilgrimage site in the central Umbria region of Italy. This site attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, eager to pay their respects to the young saint. The Vatican has officially recognized two miracles attributed to Carlo since his death: the healing of a Brazilian child suffering from a pancreatic malformation and the recovery of a Costa Rican student injured in an accident, both of whom prayed for Carlo's intercession.
In a statement reported by the AFP news agency, Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, emphasized her son’s unique vision, noting that he saw every person as “unique and unrepeatable, originals and not photocopies.” This perspective resonates with the church’s evolving mission to connect with younger generations. Sunday’s ceremony, which was initially scheduled for April but postponed due to the passing of Pope Francis, will also feature the canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati, another young Italian known for his charitable work who succumbed to polio in the 1920s.
Pope Francis championed Carlo's sainthood, believing that the church needed modern role models to engage young Catholics while addressing the complexities of the digital age. In a 2019 document, Francis remarked, “Carlo was well aware that the whole apparatus of communications, advertising and social networking can be used to lull us, to make us addicted to consumerism.” He praised Carlo's ability to use new communications technology to share the Gospel and promote values and beauty.
Pope Leo XIV inherits this vision, recognizing technology, particularly artificial intelligence, as one of the significant challenges facing humanity today. Carlo’s most notable tech achievement is a website dedicated to Eucharistic miracles, which is accessible in nearly 20 languages and details 196 extraordinary events throughout the history of the Catholic Church associated with the Eucharist, believed by the faithful to be the body of Christ.
