Pope Leo XIV declared a 15 year old computer prodigy identified as Carlo Acutis, to be the Catholic church’s first millennial saint on Sunday, September 7.
The new saint, known as God’s influencer, is considered a relatable role model for the next generation of Catholics, as he used technology to spread the faith.
During an open air mass in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, before an estimated crowd of 80,000 people, including many millennials and families with young children.
In the first saint making mass of his pontificate, Leo also canonized another popular Italian figure who died young, Pier Giorgio Frassati.
The Pope stated that both men had created masterpieces out of their lives by dedicating them to God.
In his homily, Leo said, “The greatest risk in life is to waste it outside of God’s plan.”
He added that the new saints are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.
Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London to a wealthy but not particularly observant Catholic family.
They moved back to Milan soon after he was born and he enjoyed a typical, happy childhood, albeit marked by increasingly intense religious devotion.
Acutis had a keen interest in computer science, devouring college level programming books even as a child.
He earned the nickname God’s Influencer for his main technological legacy: a multilingual website that documented Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church, a project he completed at a time when such development was reserved for professionals.
He was also known to spend hours in prayer before the Eucharist each day.
The Catholic hierarchy has been promoting the practice of Eucharistic adoration because, according to polls, most Catholics do not believe that Christ is physically present in the Eucharistic hosts.
Acutis, however, limited himself to one hour of video games per week, seemingly deciding long before the rise of platforms like TikTok that human relationships were far more important than virtual ones.
This self discipline and restraint has appealed to the Catholic hierarchy, which has voiced alarm about the dangers of a tech driven society.
In October 2006, at the age of 15, Acutis fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukemia and died within days.
He was buried in Assisi, a city known for its association with another popular saint, St. Francis.
Since his death, millions of young Catholics have traveled to Assisi to see Acutis’ body, which is visible through a glass sided tomb.
He is dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers, and a sweatshirt, appearing as though he is sleeping.
Questions have arisen about how his body was so well preserved, especially since parts of his heart have been toured around the world as relics.
The ceremonies to canonize both Acutis and another Italian figure, Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died young, were originally scheduled for earlier in the year but were postponed following the death of Pope Francis in April.
Pope Francis had been a fervent supporter of Acutis’ sainthood, convinced that the church needed someone like him to attract young Catholics to the faith while addressing the promises and perils of the digital age.
Much of Acutis’ popularity is the result of a concerted Vatican campaign to provide a saint next door who was ordinary yet performed extraordinary deeds.
In Acutis, they found a relatable, tech savvy millennial a term for individuals born roughly between 1981 and 1996 who were the first to reach adulthood in the new millennium.
The Vatican stated that 36 cardinals, 270 bishops, and hundreds of priests had signed up to celebrate the Mass with Pope Leo, indicating the saints’ significant appeal to both the hierarchy and ordinary faithful.
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