Pope Francis announced that he will canonize Carlo Acutis during the Jubilee of Teenagers at the Vatican from April 25 to 27, 2025, making him the Catholic Church's first millennial and "digital saint."
Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London, England, to Italian parents and grew up in Lombardy, Italy, according to a BBC report. He died of fulminant leukemia at the age of 15 on October 12, 2006, shortly after being diagnosed with the disease, BBC reported.
Although brief, Carlo Acutis's life was marked by a deep commitment to religion and technology. He used his computer skills to design websites for his parish and school, and he managed the websites of some local Catholic organizations, including a Vatican-based academy.
Carlo Acutis created a virtual exhibition documenting Eucharistic miracles and used social media to reach a wider audience. He launched a website to document every reported Eucharistic miracle, gaining global attention, which was launched days before his death.
"He knew how to use new communication techniques to transmit the Gospel, communicate values, and beauty," Pope Francis stated.
From a very young age, religion occupied a significant place in Carlo Acutis's life. At the age of 7, shortly after making his first communion, he showed strong religious devotion, telling his mother: "To always be united to Jesus: this is my life plan," according to El Diario NY.
The first miracle attributed to Carlo Acutis was the healing of a Brazilian boy born in 2010 with a congenital malformation of the pancreas after his family asked for intercession before a relic of Acutis, a piece of his pajamas, according to El Nacional. In May 2023, Pope Francis signed the decree recognizing a second miracle attributed to the intercession of Acutis, which paved the way for his canonization.
The second miracle involved the recovery of Valeria Valverde after her mother, Liliana, pilgrimed to his tomb in Assisi to pray for her daughter's healing. Valeria, a 21-year-old university student from Costa Rica, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury after a bicycle accident on July 2, 2022, and her chances of survival were almost nil. Vatican media described Valeria's spontaneous resumption of breathing on the same day of her mother's pilgrimage to Acutis's tomb as a miraculous event attributed to his intercession.
Acutis is often referred to as "God's influencer" for using his computer skills to spread Catholic Church teachings online.
In 2020, Carlo Acutis was beatified—the first step toward sainthood—after his first miracle was attributed to him.
Acutis showed a fascination for Catholic beliefs from a very early age, particularly with the sacrament of the Eucharist, which he referred to as his "highway to heaven," reported El Tiempo. He was very open about his faith, often discussing the Mass, the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and heaven with classmates and others, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Acutis's tomb in Assisi draws a steady stream of pilgrims, especially after the beatification event that gathered thousands to honor his life and legacy.
Aelteia, The Catholic Review, The Independent, The Sun, and NBC were among the news outlets that reported on the planned canonization of Acutis.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq