Carlo Acutis: Teenager to become first millennial Catholic saint as Pope, cardinals approve his canonization

CNN
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An Italian teenager specializing in video games will become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint after his cause for canonization was approved by church authorities.

Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was known for using his computer skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith and earned the nickname “God's influencer.”

Being recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church can take decades, but Acutis' cause has grown quickly, with the teenager developing a devoted following around the world.

Often depicted wearing jeans and sneakers, his story is seen as helpful to the Catholic Church as it seeks to better connect with the younger generation in the digital age, and he has become popular with Catholic youth groups.

The Church's canonization procedure normally requires candidates to be assigned two miracles, with each alleged supernatural event requiring further scrutiny. In May, a second miracle attributed to Acutis was recognized by Pope Francis, a decision that paved the way for his proclamation as a saint.

There was one final step, completed Monday, when the Vatican announced that the pope had decreed that the canonization would take place after cardinals convened by the pope voted in favor of Acutis' sainthood, along with 14 others. A date for his canonization has not yet been set, however, although it will likely take place sometime during the Catholic Church's jubilee celebrations in 2025.

The canonization ceremony, expected to take place in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City before tens of thousands of people and presided over by the pope, will be the moment when Acutis is officially declared a saint, meaning the Catholic Church around the world will be able to name parishes and schools after the teenager and remember him each year on a “feast day.”

Acutis, born in London, United Kingdom, in 1991 – which places him squarely in the millennial generation cohort – is known by friends and family as a fan of video games such as Halo, Super Mario and Pokémon .

During his short life, he also created a website documenting reports of miracles occurring in different parts of the world. Alongside his computing and gaming, Acutis played the saxophone, loved football, loved animals and made short comedy films about his dogs.

His mother, Antonia Salzano, describes her son as a “sign of hope” who shows that sainthood is possible today.

“As I have done, you too can become saints,” she told CNN in May. “Yet, (with) all the media, the technologies, it sometimes seems that holiness is something that belongs to the past. On the contrary, holiness is also something today, in our modern age.

She said her son bought a PlayStation when he was eight, but limited himself to one hour of gaming a week because he feared it could become addictive and knew the “dangers of the internet”.

Salzano added that from the age of nine, the youngster spent time helping the homeless in Milan and giving his pocket money to those sleeping rough. She explained that he insisted on having only one pair of shoes so he could save money to help the poor.

Acutis was beatified and declared “blessed” in 2020 after his first miracle, when he reportedly healed a Brazilian boy who suffered from a congenital pancreatic defect that prevented him from eating normally. He was reportedly healed after his mother said she prayed to Acutis to intercede and help him heal.

The second miracle attributed to Acutis involved the healing of a young girl from Costa Rica who suffered a head injury after falling from her bicycle in Florence, Italy, where she was studying. Her mother said she prayed for her daughter's recovery at Acutis' grave in Assisi.