Pope and cardinals approve canonization of Carlo Acutis, the Millennial Saint

An Italian video game-playing teenager will become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint after his request for canonization was approved by church authorities.

Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was known for using his computer skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith and earned the nickname “God’s influencer.”

Being recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church can take decades, but Acutis’ cause has advanced quickly, with the teenager developing a devoted following around the world.

Often pictured wearing jeans and sneakers, his story is seen as useful to the Catholic Church as it seeks to better connect with the younger generation in the digital age, and he has become popular among Catholic youth groups.

The church’s sainthood process typically requires candidates to have two miracles attributed to them, with each alleged supernatural occurrence requiring in-depth examination. In May, a second miracle attributed to Acutis was recognized by Pope Francis, a decision that paved the way for him to be declared a saint.

There was only one final step left, completed on Monday (1), when the Vatican announced that the pope had decreed that the canonization would proceed after cardinals summoned by the pope voted in favor of Acutis’ sainthood, along with 14 others. The date of his canonization has not yet been set, although it is likely to take place sometime during the celebrations of the Catholic Church’s jubilee year in 2025.

This canonization ceremony, which is expected to take place in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, in front of tens of thousands of people and presided over by the Pope, will be the moment in which Acutis will be formally declared a saint, which means that the Catholic Church in The whole world will be able to honor Acutis by naming parishes and schools, and also having an annual date celebrating his legacy.

Acutis, who was born in London, UK, in 1991 – which puts him squarely in the millennial generation group – is remembered by friends and family for enjoying playing video games such as Halo, Super Mario and Pokémon.

During his short life, he also created a website that documented accounts of miracles occurring in different parts of the world. Along with his computing and gaming, Acutis played the saxophone, enjoyed soccer, adored animals and made humorous short films of his dogs.

His mother, Antonia Salzano, described her son as a “sign of hope” who shows that holiness is possible today.

“Just as I did, you too can become a saint,” she told the CNN in May. “However, (with) all the means of communication, the technologies, sometimes it seems that holiness is something that belongs to the past. Rather, holiness is also something nowadays in this modern time.”

She said her son bought a PlayStation when he was eight but limited himself to one hour of play a week as she feared he could become addicted and knew the “dangers of the internet”.

Salzano added that from the age of nine the young man spent time helping the homeless in Milan and giving his allowance to those sleeping on the streets. She explained that he insisted on only having one pair of shoes so he could save money to help the poor.

Acutis was beatified and declared “blessed” in 2020 after his first miracle, when he allegedly cured a Brazilian boy who had a birth defect in his pancreas that prevented him from eating normally. He was reportedly cured after his mother said she prayed to Acutis to intercede and help heal her son.

The second miracle attributed to Acutis refers to the supposed cure of a Costa Rican girl who suffered a head injury after falling from her bicycle in Florence, Italy, where she was studying. Her mother said she prayed for her daughter’s recovery at the tomb of Acutis in Assisi.