A teenager from London has been named a saint by Pope Francis after performing miracles following his death in 2006. Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old boy born in London in 1991, became known as the first millennial saint.
Acutis was described by his mother as a normal teenager with a special spiritual life and gifts on the internet. He would often donate his pocket money to the poor, help classmates going through divorces, and displayed a strong devotion to the Catholic faith from a young age.
Despite his young age, Acutis was also a skilled web designer, known for creating websites for his parish and school.
He gained recognition for launching a website documenting Eucharistic miracles, which has been translated into multiple languages. Acutis passed away at the age of 15 from Leukemia, a group of blood cancers that affect the body’s blood cells.
After his death, many people flocked to his funeral, with the church reportedly overflowing with mourners. His faith helped him see his suffering differently when he was diagnosed with Leukemia. Acutis is set to become the 913th person canonized by Pope Francis, and the first born after 1926, once two miracles attributed to him are approved by the pope.
Two miracles have been linked to Acutis, including the miraculous recovery of a Brazilian boy and a Costa Rican woman. The Brazilian boy recovered from a rare pancreatic disorder after contact with Acutis’s T-shirt, and the Costa Rican woman experienced a full recovery following a prayer at Acutis’s tomb.
Acutis was laid to rest in Assisi, Italy, fulfilling his final wish, and his body can be visited by the public at the Sanctuary of the Spoliation. Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino unveiled Acutis’s tomb in 2022, allowing visitors to see the teenager dressed in casual attire. Those unable to visit in person can view the tomb online and submit prayers.
The Catholic Church recognises around 10,000 saints, with the most recent being María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, canonized in 2024. Other saints canonized in 2022 include Titus Brandsma, Charles de Foucauld, and Maria Francesca Rubatto, among others.
