Pope Leo XIV has declared Carlo Acutis, a London-born Italian who died in 2006 aged 15, the Catholic church’s first millennial saint.
Acutis, known as “God’s influencer”, built websites to spread Catholic teaching. He was canonised on Sunday during an open-air Mass in St Peter’s Square, attended by tens of thousands of pilgrims.
He was canonised alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati, a Turin-born Catholic activist who died of polio in 1925 aged 24.
Leo told the crowd both men made “masterpieces” of their lives by dedicating them to God. He urged young people not to waste their lives, but to “direct them upwards”.
The Vatican said 36 cardinals, 270 bishops and hundreds of priests joined the celebration. The Mass had been postponed from earlier this year after the death of Pope Francis. The late pope had strongly backed Acutis’s sainthood.
More than 1 million pilgrims have visited Assisi in the past year to see Acutis’s preserved body, displayed in a glass case at Santa Maria Maggiore church. His heart is kept in San Rufino cathedral, while relics have toured the world.
Acutis credited with two miracles
Acutis, born in London in 1991, moved to Milan as a child. Though his family was not devout, he developed an intense faith. He created websites listing miracles while balancing his coding skills with a disciplined lifestyle. He limited video games to one hour per week.
The young man died of leukaemia in October 2006 and was buried in Assisi. His mother, Antonia Salzano, said he showed deep compassion for the poor and marginalised, often bringing them food and blankets.
The Vatican credits Acutis with two miracles. First, the cure of a Brazilian boy with a rare pancreatic disease. Secondly, with the recovery of a Florence student with brain trauma.
His rapid canonisation highlights the church’s desire to engage younger Catholics, contrasting with the century-long process for Frassati.
