Carlo Acutis has become the first millennial saint in the Catholic Church.
Acutis, who died of leukemia at the age of 15 in 2006, was canonized in a ceremony led by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square outside the Vatican on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Thousands watched as Acutis was declared a Saint alongside Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassatti, who died in 1925 at age 24.
The British-born teenager, known as “God’s influencer,” was a web designer and active member of the Catholic Church. He used his computer skills to teach others about Eucharistic miracles, according to BBC News.
Born on May 3, 1991, Carlo has now made history as the Church’s first millennial saint. He lies in a tomb wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers — very different from how saints were usually dressed, CNN reported.
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In July 2024, it was confirmed that the late Pope Francis had approved Carlo for sainthood, one month after a second miracle was attributed to him. His first miracle was recorded in 2020, when a Brazilian boy was healed after his mother prayed in his name, according to CNN.
Pope Leo said at the ceremony on Sept. 7, per AFP News Agency, “By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ … and our own, after matured liberation and with divine assistance frequently implored, and with the council of many of our Brothers, we declare and define blessed Pierre Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis to be Saints.
“And we enroll them in the catalogue of the Saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated with pious devotion in the whole church,” he added.
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Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano Acutis, shared that her son comes from a line of saints, after two nuns in the family were canonized in the 19th and 20th centuries, the U.K. newspaper The Times reported.
“He’s just like us … a regular teenage guy and he had the same interests,” one young supporter told CNN about the new saint. “He liked sports [and] the internet, of course. And so he really just represents young people.”
“I feel like I have a closer connection to him,” another teenager said. “I have the same hobbies as him and on Instagram, I try to spread the gospel as best as I can.”
