Tens of thousands of people gathered at the Vatican on Sunday for the canonization of Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager dubbed “God’s Influencer” for his use of technology to spread the Catholic faith online. Pope Leo XIV officially proclaimed Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, as the Church’s first millennial saint.
Pilgrims from around the world filled St. Peter’s Square, many of them young people holding flags and images of the “cyber-apostle.” Filippo Bellaviti, 17, told AFP, “Carlo Acutis is an example for me because he was able to combine his everyday life—school, football and his passion for IT and computers—with an unshakeable faith.” A special train carried around 800 people from Assisi, where Acutis’ body, dressed in jeans and Nike trainers, lies in a glass-walled tomb.
The canonization ceremony was also streamed on giant screens in Assisi. Italian Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died of polio in 1925, was also canonized on Sunday. The ceremony was initially scheduled for April but was postponed following the death of Pope Francis. It was the first such ceremony for Pope Leo XIV, who remarked, “I’m happy to see so many young people!” Acutis’ mother, Antonia Salzano, said her son’s life proves that “we are all called to be saints… everyone is special.”
Acutis’ Life and Legacy
Born in London in 1991 to Italian parents, Acutis had a strong faith despite his parents not being particularly devout. He grew up in Milan, where he was known for his kindness to bullied children and homeless people. A fan of computer games, Acutis taught himself basic coding to document miracles and other elements of the Catholic faith online.
Bishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi called on young people to follow Acutis’ example, stating, “Today more than ever we need positive examples, exemplary life stories that can help our young people avoid following discouraging images, violent examples, and fleeting fads that leave nothing behind.” The Vatican has recognized two miracles attributed to Acutis since his death: the healing of a Brazilian child with a rare pancreatic malformation and the recovery of a Costa Rican student seriously injured in an accident.
