Pope Leo XIV Canonizes Carlo Acutis as First Millennial Saint

Lead: On Sunday at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Pope Leo XIV declared Italian teenager Carlo Acutis a saint, making him the first millennial canonized by the Catholic Church alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Nut Graf: The ceremony highlights the Church’s effort to connect with younger generations by elevating a tech-savvy youth whose online work documenting Eucharistic miracles earned him the title “God’s influencer,” underscoring a modern approach to sainthood.

Historic Canonization

  • The Mass, the first canonization of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, drew an estimated hundreds of thousands of faithful to Rome without tickets or reservations.
  • Acutis (1991-2006) died of leukemia at 15 and was beatified in 2020 after the Vatican authenticated his first miracle.

Modern Witness

Carlo Acutis harnessed programming skills to build a website cataloging Eucharistic miracles worldwide, aiming to spread devotion online. His youthful demeanor-often seen in jeans and sneakers-resonated with pilgrims as a relatable model of holiness.

Miracles and Legacy

  • First miracle: A Brazilian boy born with a life-threatening pancreatic defect experienced an unexplained complete healing attributed to Acutis’s intercession in 2020.
  • Second miracle: A Costa Rican teenager critically injured in Florence recovered after prayers at Acutis’s tomb in Assisi.
  • Acutis’s family-mother Antonia Salzano and siblings Francesca and Michele-attended the ceremony, alongside thousands of young pilgrims waving banners bearing his image.

Subheading: Church’s New Generation of Saints

With the inclusion of Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925), known for his charitable work in Turin, the Vatican underscored a continuum of youth holiness across eras. Both saints serve as patrons of young people, illustrating that devotion can flourish through ordinary talents and modern means.

Key Facts:

  • Date of canonization: September 7, 2025
  • Location: St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City
  • Saints declared: Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati
  • Attendance: Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims
  • Nickname: “God’s influencer,” patron of the Internet and youth engagement