Carlo Acutis, a millennial teenager recognized for his profound Catholic faith and technological prowess, will be canonized as a saint by Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, marking a historic moment for the Catholic Church. Acutis, who passed away from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, will become the first millennial saint, a testament to his unwavering devotion and commitment to spreading the message of faith through the digital sphere. His canonization, initially scheduled for April but postponed due to the death of Pope Francis, will be a momentous occasion, drawing thousands of pilgrims to St. Peter’s Square and millions more watching via screens worldwide, especially in Assisi, the city where his body lies in rest.
Born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, Acutis developed a deep connection with his faith from a young age, attending daily Mass and demonstrating remarkable compassion for the marginalized. He extended kindness to bullied children and provided food and sleeping bags to the homeless, embodying the principles of Christian charity. Despite his parents not being particularly devout, Acutis’s faith blossomed organically. Parallel to his spiritual pursuits, he nurtured a passion for computers and video games. He taught himself coding, a skill he utilized to create websites documenting miracles and other aspects of the Catholic faith, earning him the moniker “God’s Influencer.”
The Vatican has officially recognized two miracles attributed to Acutis, fulfilling a crucial requirement for sainthood. The first involved the healing of a Brazilian child suffering from a rare pancreatic malformation. The second miracle concerned the recovery of a Costa Rican student who sustained severe injuries in an accident. In both instances, family members prayed for Acutis’ intercession, leading to the inexplicable recoveries. These events, rigorously investigated and validated by the Vatican, solidified Acutis’s path to sainthood, following his beatification by Pope Francis in 2020.
The canonization ceremony, a complex and meticulously conducted process, involves a thorough investigation by Vatican officials and specialists who assess the validity of the reported miracles. The final approval rests with the Pope, solidifying the individual’s recognition as a saint. In conjunction with Acutis’s canonization, Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian mountaineering enthusiast renowned for his social and spiritual commitment, will also be elevated to sainthood. Frassati, who died in 1925 at the age of 24 from polio, dedicated his life to serving the poor and sick, exemplifying Christian charity.
Frassati, an engineering student, made it his life’s mission to alleviate the suffering of those in need within his community. His coffin bears the inscription “Verso l’alto” (“To the heights”), a phrase he penned on a photograph capturing him gazing towards a mountain summit, symbolizing his spiritual aspirations. The Church recognized him as a model of charitable service after his untimely death. Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1990, Frassati’s journey to sainthood was furthered by the Vatican’s recognition of a second miracle in 2024, involving the unexplained recovery of a young American man from a coma.
This Sunday’s canonization ceremony will be Pope Leo XIV’s first since his election in May, coinciding with the Jubilee, a Catholic “Holy Year” that has drawn millions of pilgrims to Rome. The canonizations of Acutis and Frassati will undoubtedly be a highlight of this sacred year, inspiring countless individuals with their stories of faith, service, and unwavering devotion. The event serves as a testament to the enduring power of faith in the modern age, exemplified by Acutis’s innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel message. The dual canonization emphasizes the diverse paths to sainthood, encompassing both traditional acts of charity and innovative approaches to evangelization.
