Pope Leo XIV proclaimed Carlo Acutis a saint on September 7, 2025, in a ceremony held in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. The event, which brought together tens of thousands of faithful, marked a historic milestone as Acutis became the first saint belonging to the millennial generation within the Catholic Church. Pier Giorgio Frassati was also canonized at the same celebration.
A short life marked by faith and technology
Carlo Acutis was born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, Italy. From childhood, he showed a deep devotion to the Eucharist and an early interest in computer science. He combined both passions to create a website dedicated to cataloging Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church, a pioneering initiative that reflected his desire to use digital tools for evangelization. In 2006, at the age of 15, he was diagnosed with acute leukemia and died a few days later in Monza, Italy. His tomb in Assisi has become an important center of pilgrimage, especially for young people.
The miracles that paved the way to sainthood
The canonization process required the verification of two miracles attributed to Carlo Acutis' intercession. The first, recognized in 2019, occurred in Campo Grande, Brazil, in 2013. A four-year-old boy with a severe congenital pancreatic malformation made a complete recovery, inexplicable to science, after his family prayed for the young man's intercession and the child touched one of his relics. This event led to his beatification in 2020.
The second miracle, approved in 2023, involved a 21-year-old Costa Rican woman who suffered severe head trauma after a bicycle accident in Florence in 2022. With a guarded prognosis, her mother traveled to pray at Acutis' tomb in Assisi. The next day, the patient began a surprising recovery that culminated in her discharge from the hospital, which was declared medically inexplicable by Vatican authorities.
Canonization in the context of the Jubilee
The canonization ceremony, initially scheduled for April 2025 during the Jubilee of Adolescents, was postponed due to the death of Pope Francis. It was his successor, Pope Leo XIV, who in June of the same year set the new date for September 7. During the Mass, the pontiff emphasized that both Acutis and Frassati were "young people who responded decisively to their faith from an early age" and that their testimony continues to be a reference point for new generations.
A model of holiness for the digital age
Carlo Acutis is often called "God's influencer" or "the apostle of the Internet," nicknames that underscore his uniqueness as a contemporary saint. Although he consciously limited his time online to prioritize prayer and personal life, he knew how to use his technological knowledge in the service of faith. The Catholic Church has presented him as an accessible and relevant model of holiness, integrating spirituality with digital culture and the concerns of 21st-century youth.
Original source: www.proceso.com.mx (published on September 8, 2025)
