Pope Leo XIV has declared Carlo Acutis, a London-born computer prodigy who died in 2006, the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.
The 15-year-old, dubbed “God’s influencer” for his innovative use of technology to spread the faith, was canonised during an open-air Mass in St Peter’s Square on Sunday.
The ceremony, Pope Leo’s first saint-making Mass, drew tens of thousands of attendees, including many millennials and young families.
Alongside Carlo, Leo also canonised Pier Giorgio Frassati, another popular Italian figure who died young.
The Vatican noted the presence of 36 cardinals, 270 bishops, and hundreds of priests, signifying the broad appeal of both new saints to the church hierarchy and ordinary faithful.
The canonisations were originally scheduled for earlier this year but were postponed following the death of Pope Francis in April.
Francis had been a fervent advocate for Carlo’s sainthood, convinced the Church needed such a figure to attract young Catholics and address the promises and perils of the digital age.
A hour before the Mass, St Peter’s Square was already full with pilgrims, many of them young millennial Italians who had found in Carlo a relatable role model.
“I learned from different people what his professors, his teachers said about his joy and the light he carried around him,” said Leopoldo Antimi, a 27-year-old Roman who got to the square early to secure a spot.
“So for me personally as an Italian, even on social networks that are used so much, it is important to have him as an influencer.”
Carlo was born on 3 May, 1991, in London to a wealthy but not particularly observant Catholic family.
They moved back to Milan soon after he was born and he enjoyed a typical, happy childhood, albeit marked by increasingly intense religious devotion.
Carlo was particularly interested in computer science and devoured college-level books on programming even as a youngster.
He earned the nickname “God’s Influencer” thanks to his main tech legacy: a multilingual website documenting so-called Eucharistic miracles recognised by the church, a project he completed at a time when the development of such sites was the domain of professionals.
The teen was known to spend hours in prayer before the Eucharist each day. The Catholic hierarchy has been trying to promote the practice of Eucharistic adoration because, according to polls, most Catholics don’t believe Christ is physically present in the Eucharistic hosts.
In October 2006, at age 15, Carlo fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukaemia. Within days, he was dead. He was entombed in Assisi, which known for its association with another popular saint, St. Francis.
In the years since his death, young Catholics have flocked in their millions to Assisi, where they can see the young Carlo through a glass-sided tomb, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers and a sweatshirt.
Carlo has been on the fast track for sainthood, as the hierarchy has seen that he has proven enormously popular with young Catholics, who see in him a relatable, modern day role model.
“It’s like I can maybe not be as great as Carlo may be, but I can be looking after him and be like, ‘What would Carlo do?’” said Leo Kowalsky, an 8th grader at a Chicago school attached to the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish.
Leo said he was particularly excited that his own namesake — Pope Leo — would be canonising the patron of his school.
“It’s kind of all mashed up into one thing, so it is a joy to be a part of,” Leo said in an interview last week.
Frassati, the other saint being canonised on Sunday, lived from 1901-1925, when he died at age 24 of polio.
He was born into a prominent Turin family but is known for his devotion to serving the poor and carrying out acts of charity while spreading his faith to his friends.
