Catholic Church's First Millennial Saint, Fame-earning Pope Leo's 'Divine Social Influencer' Declaration
Pope Leo XIV Canonizes First Millennial Saint, Carlo Acutis, in Rome
Sunday saw a historic moment in the Catholic Church as Pope Leo XIV declared Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who passed away in 2006 at the age of 15, as the first millennial saint. The ceremony took place in St Peter's Square, with a crowd of approximately 60,000 people, many of whom were young, in attendance.
Ahead of the mass, Pope Leo XIV expressed his joy at seeing so many young people gathered. Carlo Acutis's mother, Antonia Salzano, who was present at the ceremony, remarked that her son was proof that "we are all called to be saints... everyone is special."
Carlo Acutis, often referred to as "God's Influencer," was known for his efforts to spread the faith online. He had a reputation for daily mass attendance and teaching himself basic coding to document miracles and other elements of the Catholic faith online. Eleanor Hauser, a 15-year-old from the US state of North Carolina, was among the crowd. She learned about Carlo Acutis from her Catholic grandmother.
The canonisation process for Acutis began after the first miracle attributed to him was recognised. This miracle involved the healing of a Brazilian child suffering from a rare pancreatic malformation. A second miracle, the recovery of a Costa Rican student seriously injured in an accident, was also attributed to Acutis, paving the way for his sainthood.
The preserved body of Carlo Acutis, dressed in jeans and a pair of Nike trainers, lies in a glass-walled tomb in the Italian town of Assisi. Almost a million pilgrims visited Acutis's tomb in Assisi last year, according to the diocese.
Italian Pier Giorgio Frassati, a mountaineering enthusiast who died of polio aged 24 in 1925, was also made a saint on Sunday. Frassati, who was beatified by John Paul II in 1990, was held up by the Church as a model of charity.
Carlo Acutis's brother, Michele, gave a reading at the canonisation mass. The ceremony marked the first for US-born Pope Leo XIV.
Frassati's family watched the ceremony, and many young people were among the crowd. Eleanor Hauser, who was inspired by Acutis's story, was among them. As Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Catholic Church's first millennial saint, the crowd erupted in cheers, marking a significant milestone in the Church's history.
