VATICAN CITY — Carlo Acutis, a London-born Italian teenager known as “God’s Influencer” for spreading his faith online, is set to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.
Carlo, who died of leukemia in 2006 at age 15, was beatified in 2020 after being credited with a miracle involving the healing of a Brazilian boy with a rare pancreatic disease.
Pope Francis recently approved a second miracle attributed to Carlo, involving the recovery of a young woman in Florence who suffered severe head trauma in 2022.
Her mother prayed at Carlo’s tomb, and the woman began to breathe on her own the same day, eventually making a full recovery. This miracle paves the way for Carlo’s canonization.
Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, expressed her joy at the news, describing Carlo as a special child who never complained or criticized. Born on May 3, 1991, Carlo moved with his family to Milan, where he grew up with a passion for computers and used the internet for evangelization. He also actively helped the homeless in his community.
In Assisi, where Carlo made several pilgrimages, his remains are displayed in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in a glass-sided tomb, dressed in jeans, trainers, and a sweatshirt. This tomb has become a pilgrimage site for many Catholics.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints confirmed the miracle and announced that a meeting of cardinals would soon set a date for Carlo’s canonization, making him the first millennial saint of the Catholic Church.
(el Amigo/Sourced online)