Why the holiness of Carlo Acutis captures the Catholic imagination

How do religious communities use digital technology?

Various Christian groups, including evangelicals, use the Internet and social media to build community, produce religious or theological content, and shape social issues.

Faith communities are finding new ways to engage with digital technology, especially since COVID, which has allowed many believers to spend more time online.

Are people increasingly turning to online sources of spirituality rather than in person?

In my own work with Orthodox Christians, the Internet has become a means of engaging in spiritual communities across diffuse geographies and even continents.

I believe that religious expression online should be seen as an aspect of one's embodied spirituality. It’s an extension of the in-person community.

Can digital evangelism be problematic?

I have witnessed the dangers of digital evangelism during my research.

The democratized space of the Internet in which anyone with a Wi-Fi connection can create content means that there are now a multiplicity of religious voices and brands to follow, like and share.

Not all of these content creators are authorized to speak on behalf of religious communities, and many have dangerous political views that are coded as religious or theological.

As society becomes increasingly digital, religious communities will face more challenges and opportunities from social media and content producers.

Catholic websites claim that Acutis limited its video games to one or two hours per week. What kind of message does this send to teenagers, let alone their parents?

If we view this practice as grounded in Catholicism's ascetic history – that of self-denial – then Acutis' limited gaming program is likely another reason he is on the path to canonization.

For young Catholics, Acutis' digital self-sacrifice, in a cultural moment entirely saturated with technology and screens, could serve as a guide on how to disconnect and engage more deeply in their local communities.

Acutis used technology to spread Catholicism, serve the Church, and have fun.