‘God’s influencer’: Carlo Acutis named first millennial saint 

By bbC

A video-gaming Italian teenager will become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint after his cause for canonisation was approved by church authorities.

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

Being recognised as a saint in the Catholic Church can take decades, but the cause of Acutis has moved swiftly, with the teenager developing a devoted following across the world.

A generation of uniqueness
Often depicted wearing jeans and trainers, his story is seen as helpful for the Catholic Church as it seeks to better connect with the younger generation in a digital age, and he’s become popular with Catholic youth groups.

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

That left one final step, completed Monday, when the Vatican announced the pope had decreed the canonisation would go ahead after cardinals convened by the Pope voted in favour of Acutis’ sainthood, along with 14 others. The date for his canonisation is yet to be set, however, although it is likely to occur at some point during the Catholic Church’s jubilee year celebrations in 2025.

That canonisation ceremony, expected to take place in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City in front of tens of thousands and presided over by the pope, will be the moment where Acutis is formally declared a saint, meaning the Catholic Church across the world can name parishes and schools after the teenager and will remember him annually on a “feast day.”

Back ground
Acutis, who was born in London, United Kingdom, in 1991 and moved to Milan as an infant. Such a bona fide in the millenial generation cohort – is remembered by friends and family as enjoying playing video games such as Halo, Super Mario and Pokémon.

While his parents were not devout Catholics, Acutis became interested in Catholicism at a young age, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. He was especially fascinated by the ritual of the Eucharist and often asked his parents to take him to saints’ birthplaces and the sites of miracles.

During his short life, he also set up a website documenting reports of miracles taking place in different parts of the world. 

Acutis ultimately cataloged more than 150 miracles, listing them in over a dozen languages and building out downloadable web pages for each with maps and other visuals.

The website became a tool for religious instruction by parishes around the world, and the church hailed it — both then and now — as a way to use modern technology for spiritual good.

“Computer genius, Carlo made his computer an instrument at the service of God and the Internet a way to evangelize, spreading his love for the Holy Eucharist,” reads the website of the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, of which Acutis was named a patron.

Before his death, Acutis specifically requested that he be buried in Assisi, because of his devotion to Saint Francis of Assisi, and was reburied there in 2007. Acutis’ body was exhumed in 2019 and transferred to a shrine at the Church of St. Mary Major, the very spot where Saint Francis is said to have shed his luxurious clothing for a habit by way of renouncing his wealth.

It remains on display in a glass case, wearing blue jeans, an athletic zip-up and Nike sneakers.

Acutis’ website has been translated into numerous languages and was used as the basis for  travelling.

Hobbies
Along with his computing and gaming, Acutis played the saxophone, enjoyed soccer, loved animals and would make short, humorous films of his dogs.

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

“As I did, you too can become holy,” she told CNN in May. “Nevertheless, (with) all the media, the technologies, it seems sometimes that holiness is something that belongs to the past. Instead, holiness is also something nowadays in this modern time.”

She said that her son was bought a PlayStation when he was eight, but limited himself to one hour a week of gaming as he was wary that it could become addictive and knew the “dangers of the internet.”

Salzano added that from the age of nine, the youngster spent time helping the homeless in Milan and giving his pocket money 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 reportedly healed a Brazilian boy who had a birth defect in his pancreas that left him unable to eat food normally. He was reportedly healed after his mother said she prayed to Acutis to intercede and help heal her son.

The second miracle attributed to Acutis relates to the reported healing of a girl from Costa Rica who had suffered a head trauma 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.

- bbc.com

Who was Acutis? 
Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London and died on Oct. 12, 2006 in Italy after battling to leukemia, reports Vatican News. Before his death, he considered becoming a priest, reports WJBF.

The teen’s beatification took place in 2020, meaning the pope declared the teen attained the blessedness of heaven, and Acutis was given the title of Blessed.

What is a saint?
Saints are persons in heaven who were officially canonised or not who did one of the following, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

• Lived heroically virtuous lives.

• Offered their life to others.

• Died for their faith.

• All saints must have lived lives worthy of imitation.