It was announced that Blessed Carlo Acutis will be canonised as Pope Francis recognised a miracle attributed to the intercession of the blessed, also known as “God’s influencer,” “the cyber-apostle of the Eucharist” and the “patron saint of the Internet.”
Though his life was short, he left a great mark. He died at the age of 15 in 2006 after a battle with leukaemia, but he used that time to dedicate himself completely to others.
In 2018, the postulator for the cause of Acutis’ canonisation said, “When he died, the funeral at the church was full of poor people. Everyone wondered what they were doing there.
“The fact is that Carlo was secretly helping them. The family knew this because, being only 15 years old, he was accompanied by his mother. She would bring them sleeping bags or food and so they felt it was their duty to go to the funeral.”
After he started high school, Carlo used the tools and new technology available at the time to do good. He designed websites to teach people about the Eucharist and the miracles related to it.
Fourteen years after his death, he was beatified in Assisi with thousands of people in attendance, including his family, where his parents carried the reliquary containing their son’s heart to the altar.
The following day, Pope Francis celebrated his beatification saying: “His testimony indicates to the young people of today that true happiness is found when God is put in the first place, serving him in the brothers, especially the last ones. Let’s applaud the young, blessed millennial!”
Many young people see Carlo Acutis as a model of holiness. Thousands visit his tomb in Assisi every year. Just last year, he was chosen as one of the 13 patrons of World Youth Day in Lisbon.
While the date of the canonisation is yet to be set, Carlo Acutis is sure to become the first millennial saint.