St. Peter's Square will witness the sanctification of the "Divine Influencer" on Sunday
Carlo Acutis, a "little computer genius" and "cyber-apostle," is set to make history as the first saint of the internet generation. Pope Leo XIV will canonize Acutis on Sunday, making him the youngest saint ever born and the first millennial saint.
Born in 1991, Acutis spent his childhood and youth in Italy. He created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles of the Catholic Church, which has since been translated into multiple languages and expanded to include other content on Catholic doctrine.
The Vatican is placing great importance on this ceremony, and over 100,000 people are expected to attend the canonization on St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. The responsible office in the Vatican considers the healing of a child from Brazil and a young woman from Costa Rica as miracles attributed to Acutis.
Last year, a million people visited the pilgrimage church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, where the mortal remains of Carlo Acutis are housed in a sarcophagus with a glass panel. Acutis fell ill in early October 2006 and was diagnosed with leukemia a few days later. He died in Milan four days after his diagnosis and was buried in Assisi.
Since his death, his family has encouraged people to pray to him when in need. One of his closest school friends, Federico Oldani, shared personal interests with him, such as a passion for fast cars. However, Oldani claims they never once discussed Jesus, and he never heard the phrase "The Eucharist is my highway to heaven" attributed to Acutis.
The decision for Acutis's canonization is not being questioned in the Vatican. A second miracle attributed to Acutis last year paved the way for him to become the second saint of this millennium. Despite some people finding the canonization process too rushed, and doubts about Acutis' genuine piety, the Vatican considers him an "influencer of God" and a "saint of our time."
