VATICAN CITY – Pope Leo XIV was prepared to declare Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old tech-savvy individual, as the first saint from the millennial generation on Sunday. This move is aimed at providing young Catholics with a relevant role model who harnessed technology to promote faith, earning him the title “God’s influencer.”
A public Mass in St. Peter’s Square, marking the first saint-making event of Leo’s papacy, was expected to attract a vast audience. It was also set to canonize another beloved Italian figure who passed away young, Pier Giorgio Frassati.
These ceremonies were slated for an earlier date but were delayed following the death of Pope Francis in April. Francis had strongly advocated for Acutis’s sainthood, believing the church needed someone like him to draw young people to the faith while addressing the issues and opportunities presented by the digital era.
Similar to Pope Francis, Leo has voiced concerns regarding the dangers of technology, especially artificial intelligence, along with worries about virtual connections taking the place of real-life interactions.
Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London to a wealthy family that was not deeply religious. Shortly after his birth, they returned to Milan, where he experienced a normal, joyful upbringing with increasingly profound religious commitment.
Acutis had a keen interest in computer science, exploring college-level programming books even at a young age. His legacy in technology includes a multilingual website dedicated to documenting recognized Eucharistic miracles, a project he accomplished when such endeavors were typically undertaken by professionals, leading to his moniker, “God’s Influencer.”
Acutis 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, Acutis fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukemia. 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 by the millions to Assisi, where they can see the young Acutis through a glass-sided tomb, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers and a sweatshirt.
Acutis 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.
Kowalsky said he was particularly excited that his own namesake — Pope Leo — would be canonizing 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,” Kowalsky said in an interview last week.
Frassati, the other saint being canonized 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.
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AP visual journalist Jessie Wardarski contributed from Chicago.
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