Italian teenager to become first Catholic saint of millennium after pope and cardinals approve canonization

Vatican City [Italy]July 1: 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, CNN reported.

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

It may take decades to be recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, but Acutis' case has evolved rapidly as he has developed a community of followers across 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, CNN said.

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.

The final step, which ended Monday, came when the Vatican announced that the pope had decreed that the canonization would proceed after the cardinals summoned by the pope voted in favor of Acutis' sainthood, as well as 14 others. The date of his canonization, however, has not yet been set, although it will likely take place at some point during the Catholic Church's jubilee celebrations in 2025.

The canonization ceremony, expected to take place in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican before 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 in the teenager's honor and remember him each year on a “feast day.”

Acutis was beatified and declared “blessed” in 2020 after his first miracle when he allegedly healed a Brazilian boy who suffered from a congenital malformation of the pancreas 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 involves the healing of a young girl from Costa Rica who suffered a head injury after falling off her bicycle in Florence, Italy, where she was studying. Her mother said she prayed for her daughter's recovery at Acutis' tomb in Assisi.

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