Carlo Acutis will become the first saint of the millennial generation this Sunday. Pope Leo XIV will include in the Santoral, with a solemn ceremony in the Plaza de San Pedro, with 15 years, because of a very aggressive sudden leukemia, which caused death in a few days.
The path of canonization that culminates this Sunday, with the full registration of Acutis in the book of the Saints of the Catholic Church, has revolutionized and rejuvenated the concept of sanctification and. His story, which is that of a boy who adored computer science, communication, sport, nature and social networks, where he disseminated the Gospel, has turned the world around.
In recent times, the cult of Carlo Acutis has grown considerably, even before being officially proclaimed. Last year, about one million people visited Assisi to see the place where it is buried. In several Internet platforms some of their alleged relics have been put on sale, including a strand of hair sold for more than 2,000 euros. The Prosecutor’s Office is even investigating the case, to clarify if those alleged relics are authentic. In any case, even if they were, canon law expressly prohibits its commercialization.
In Assisi, the place where Acutis wanted his mortal remains to rest, for his devotion to San Francisco, there are many positions that sell stamps of the Millennial Saint. And the popularity and influx of faithful to the church of Santa María la Mayor of this town have increased since it also became a place of veneration of Acutis.
In 2020, after the Holy See studied its thorough case for two years and listened to the testimony of people who met him in life, Pope Francis proclaimed him Blessed, which is the first official step to reach Santo. With his jeans and a couple of Nike shoes on, the young man became Blessed of the Catholic Church. That generated a great impact and placed it as a symbol of a new generation of saints. It was an unusual and rejuvenated image in Christian hagiography.
His canonization was scheduled by the end of April of this year, coinciding with him, but was suspended by Francisco’s death and was postponed until September. The Church, aware of the pull that Acutis has between youth, wanted its rise to the altars of holiness to be one of this jubilee year’s strong dishes.
Carlo Acutis was born in London in 1991, where his parents, a family of the high Turin bourgeoisie, had moved for work reasons. Although he grew up and developed his passion for computer science and faith in Milan. He was a successful student, played football with his teammates, and was excited about the Catholic religion, although his parents were not practitioners. He was a faithful devotee from San Francisco de Asís and, like him, he gave himself to those in need.
He volunteered in the social dining room of the Capuchin monks and the nuns of Mother Teresa, taught the catechism to other boys of her age, helped children with difficulties in school in the afternoon and at night she wore food and hot drinks to the homeless people, whom she bought sleeping bags with the savings she had achieved with their tips.
Carlo Acutis will become the first saint who had a profile on Facebook and that evangelized on the Internet. He liked video games and used social networks to disseminate the Christian faith, which earned him the nickname of ‘the influencer of God ‘. Before beatifying him, Francisco stressed that the young man to communicate values and beauty. ”
Carlo Acutis is attributed two miracles, necessary according to the protocol for aspiring saints who have not been martyred. This is a complex issue for the Church, which recognizes as a miracle a complete healing that science cannot explain. In the case of Acutis, according to the version accepted by the Church, a six -year -old Brazilian child who suffered a rare congenital malformation known as cancer pancreas would have cured after touching a relic of his. The Holy See also recognized another miracle: the healing of a young Costa Rican resident in Italy, which in 2022 fell out of the bicycle and suffered a serious cranial trauma. According to the Dicasterio for the causes of the saints – the Vatican organism in charge of selecting the future saints – the young woman would have survived thanks to the intercession of Acutis, after her mother was on a pilgrimage to Assisi to pray in her grave.
The Church proposes it as a reference for young people, close in time, for their concerns, their way of living and infecting faith. His canonization is also part of the effort of the religious institution by. The dicas supplies for the causes of the saints stands out of him that “as a lake young, he knew how to rekindle Christian fervor and practice in many consecrated and priests.” And considers it a “model” for other young people. “The main legacy that Carlo has left, especially to the new generations, is the coherence of his life with the values of the Gospel. Precisely, for his ability to share with others the mysteries of faith, Carlo can be defined as a true apostle in all areas in which he lived, which are the typical of a teenager: family, school, sport, free time, travel, games,”
The figure of Carlos Acutis is also very popular because for a long time the option of turning it into an internet patron is being raised, for its use of social networks and technologies to publicize the Catholic faith. So far and informally, Christians consider San Isidoro in Seville, a Sevillian scholarly cleric who lived between the ever and ever, such as the Internet protector, for his work to collect and organize the knowledge of his time in his encyclopedic work.
