Pope Leo XIV has canonised Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, in a historic ceremony attended by thousands in Rome, signalling the Church’s embrace of modernity and youth engagement.
Acutis was labeled the ‘patron saint of the internet’ for his work recording miracles online and managing websites for Catholic organisations (BBC). Alongside Frassati’s, aims to inspire young people through examples of faith expressed through contemporary means.
The ceremony, which saw crowds exceeding 80 000, included applause and displays of banners and T-shirts bearing the saints’ images. Acutis’s rapid path to sainthood, taking just 19 years, contrasts with historical norms and underscores the impact of digital evangelism.
The New York Times detailed that Acutis taught himself coding and created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles, which gained global traction. His mother, Antonia Salzano, described him as an antidote to technology’s ‘dark side,’ emphasising his positive use of digital tools.
According to reports, Acutis’s canonisation was postponed from earlier in the year following the death of Pope Francis. Frassati, beatified in 1990, was canonised after the Vatican recognised a second miracle attributed to him in 2024. Both saints died young, Acutis at 15 and Frassati at 24, after brief illnesses, and both were celebrated for their service to the poor and marginalised.
Two miracles were attributed to Acutis’s intercession: the healing of a child in Brazil and the recovery of a Costa Rican woman injured in a bicycle accident. Frassati’s miracles included the healing of a person in the United States.
Subsequently, the canonisation ceremony featured emotional responses from attendees, including youth groups and families. Harvard lecturer Rachel McCleary, who studies sainthood, noted the significant reduction in the time between death and canonisation in recent decades.
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