Pope Francis has attributed a second miracle to Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who used his computer skills to spread the Catholic faith, clearing the way for him to become the first saint of the millennial generation.
Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was informally known as “God’s influencer.” Born in London and raised in Milan, he managed his parish website and later contributed to a Vatican-based academy. Pope Francis made the decision during a meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, head of the Vatican’s saint-making department, according to a statement released on Thursday. Acutis was beatified in 2020 after one miracle was attributed to him.
The attribution of a second miracle means Acutis can now be elevated to sainthood, though the Vatican has not specified when this will occur.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that only God performs miracles, but saints, who are believed to be with God in heaven, intercede on behalf of those who pray to them. A miracle is typically the medically inexplicable healing of a person.
Due to his “important role in evangelization through the internet,” Acutis was named a patron of last year’s World Youth Day in Lisbon, according to the event organizers.
Acutis was born in London on May 3, 1991, to Italian parents and moved to Milan as a child. Early on, he showed a strong religious devotion that surprised his non-practicing parents. His mother told the Corriere della Sera newspaper that from age three, he would ask to visit churches they passed in Milan, and by age seven, he had asked to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion, obtaining an exception to the customary age requirement. “There was in him a natural predisposition for the sacred,” his mother said.
His curiosity led his mother to study theology to answer his questions, renewing her own faith. Acutis was buried in Assisi at his own request, having become an admirer of St. Francis of Assisi for his dedication to the poor. He currently rests on full display in the company of other relics linked to him.
