Italy’s First Millennial Saint Canonized: Carlo Acutis
The Catholic Church is set to canonize Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian boy who died in 2006, making him the first millennial saint on October 10th. Known as “God’s influencer” or the “Saint of the internet,” Acutis leveraged his technical skills to create a website that documented Eucharistic miracles and garnered widespread attention online.
Born in London and raised in Milan, Italy, Acutis was diagnosed with leukemia at age 12 but continued to attend church daily until his death. His mother, Antonia Salzano, remembers him as a prodigious child who learned multiple coding languages by the age of nine and demonstrated an exceptional faith from a young age.
Acutis’ website attracted international attention and was a significant factor in his rapid canonization process. The Vatican recognizes Acutis as having performed two miracles posthumously: the recovery of a 4-year-old Brazilian boy with a serious pancreatic malformation and a 21-year-old Costa Rican woman who suffered from a bicycle accident. Both individuals had prayed to Acutis for help before their recoveries.
The canonization mass will take place in St. Peter’s Square, attended by tens of thousands of faithful. In Assisi, Italy, where the town is already known as a popular pilgrimage site for Catholic saints, Acutis’ tomb has become an additional draw. Visitors can see his body preserved in jeans and sneakers with reconstructed facial features.
Salzano continues to promote her son’s life and beliefs, sharing stories of his advanced intellect and exceptional faith. She believes that Acutis interceded on her behalf when she became pregnant with twins after Acutis’ death, fulfilling a promise he made to her in a dream.
The canonization of Carlo Acutis is seen as an attempt by the church to appeal to young people during the digital age and to show that saints can still be relevant in contemporary society. Monsignor Anthony Figueiredo, who oversees the official relic of Acutis’ heart, believes that having a modern saint will provide hope to those living in this era.