By Evridiki Fatolia,
The Italian Carlo Acutis, who died at 15 in 2006 due to leukemia, will become the first saint of the Catholic Church from the millennial generation. He was buried in Assisi, Italy, where he has been resting since April 2019. Acutis, nicknamed as “God’s influencer,” gained global recognition after his death. His canonization ceremony will take place during the Jubilee of Teenagers from April 25 to 27.
The date was announced after the confirmation of a second miracle attributed to his intercession. In May 2024, the Vatican recognized the healing of a woman from Costa Rica, who had been seriously injured in a cycling accident in 2022. Her mother had prayed to Acutis, leaving a note on his glass coffin, asking for the salvation of her daughter. Previously, the Vatican had recognized the healing of a boy from Brazil with a rare pancreatic disease in 2013. Acutis’ mother described him as a young man who supported his classmates in need, defended people with disabilities from bullying, and distributed food to the homeless.
Acuitis grew up in Milan, where he took over the parish website, after being born in the British capital. After that, he worked on promoting a Vatican-based academy online.
At seven years old, Carlo told his mother, shortly after receiving his first Communion, “I want to constantly be united with Jesus: This is my life goal.” His mother had previously informed the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Sera” that her son would beg to go to churches and give his pocket money to the city’s impoverished residents starting when he was three years old. Yesterday, during a meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the head of saints at the Vatican, the pope decided to canonize Carlo Acutis.
In order to be declared a “saint” by the Catholic Church, a person must have lived for at least five years, have had at least two miracles “verified” attributable to them, and have undergone an investigation to ascertain whether they possessed “sufficient holiness” and “heroic virtue”. In order to be declared a “saint” by the Catholic Church, a person must have lived for at least five years, have had at least two miracles “verified” to be attributed to them, and have undergone an investigation to ascertain whether they possessed “sufficient holiness” and “heroic virtue.”
The first miracle was credited to Acutis in 2020. He saved the life of another youngster in Brazil from a rare condition at that time, according to the Vatican. When a 21-year-old Costa Rican girl recovered from a severe injury following a bike accident in Florence in 2022, Acutis was credited with performing the second miracle. He can now be declared a saint due to the attribution of a second miracle, albeit the Vatican did not say when this would occur. According to Roman Catholic doctrine, saints who are thought to be with God in heaven serve as “intercessors” for those who pray to them, but only God is capable of miracles.
References
- Inside the Vatican’s secret saint-making process. The Guardian. Available here
- Worshippers flock to view preserved body of Brit-born teen dubbed ‘God’s influencer’ and buy merchandise depicting ‘first millennial saint’ ahead of his canonisation next month. Dailymail. Available here
