An Italian teenager who loved video games and making lighthearted films of his pets has become the Catholic Church’s first “millennial” saint. On Sunday, the Vatican canonized Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old who died of leukaemia in 2006, recognizing him as a figure who brought the church’s message into the digital era.
Acutis, remembered for his jeans, sneakers, and easy smile, stood apart from the saints of old. Using his computing skills, he created a website cataloguing reported miracles and became known as “God’s influencer.”
For many young Catholics, he has emerged as a role model who blends faith with the realities of modern life.
The canonization ceremony in St. Peter’s Square was presided over by Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff. It also honored Pier Giorgio Frassatti, a 24-year-old Italian who died in 1925.
Tens of thousands filled the square, holding flags and signs with Acutis’ image, cheering as the pope officially declared him a saint.
The elevation of these youthful figures comes as the Catholic Church struggles to maintain its relevance among younger generations.
Leadership at the Vatican is dominated by an older, male hierarchy, and the church continues to wrestle with the fallout of clerical abuse scandals.
Yet surveys and anecdotal accounts suggest a rising interest in Catholicism among Gen Z in Europe and the United States, even as broader trends show young people drifting away from organized religion.
For Acutis’ mother, Antonia Salzano, her son’s life carries a message for today’s youth. “Carlo is a message of hope, because Carlo says, ‘Yes, you have to use (the internet) for good.’ This why Pope Francis called Carlo God’s influencer,” she told CNN in Assisi earlier this year.
She recalled that her son was well aware of the internet’s dangers and limited himself to just one hour of PlayStation a week.
She often quotes her son’s words: “Carlo used to say that all are born original, many die as photocopies.” Speaking at the Centro Amici di Carlo Acutis in Assisi, a center dedicated to his memory, she said his example proves that holiness is possible for everyone, not only for a chosen few.
Carlo was born in London to a wealthy Italian family while his father worked at a bank in the city. The family later settled in Milan, where his father rose to become chairman of an insurance company.
Though not raised in a particularly devout household, Carlo showed strong faith from an early age. He gave his pocket money to the homeless, defended classmates who were bullied, and supported children from divorced families.
Salzano said her own faith was renewed through her son’s devotion, which she attributed partly to the influence of the family’s Polish nanny, Beata Sperczynska. At home, she remembered him as a lively boy who enjoyed sports and laughter.
He made parody “Star Wars” films with his pets, voicing the cats and dogs himself.
Today, his tomb in Assisi, where his body lies dressed in casual clothes, is open to visitors and livestreamed online.
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi told CNN that nearly a million people visited last year, a number he expects will grow. An official shrine has also been established in Pennsylvania, underscoring his global reach.
His path to sainthood has been remarkably swift. Canonization is usually a process that spans centuries, requiring close scrutiny of a candidate’s life and miracles.
Acutis was beatified in 2020 after the Vatican recognized his role in the healing of a Brazilian boy born with a severe defect that prevented him from eating normally. The boy’s recovery was credited to his mother’s prayers asking Carlo to intercede.
The second miracle, approved more recently, involved a Costa Rican student who suffered life-threatening head trauma in Florence. Her mother prayed at Acutis’ tomb in Assisi, and the girl reportedly made a full recovery. With two miracles recognized, the requirements for canonization were met.
Still, not everyone supports his elevation. Critics say his cause is being used to promote a narrow and outdated form of Catholic devotion. His website, which compiled reports of Eucharistic miracles, including hosts said to bleed or turn into living tissue, has stirred debate among theologians.
“A young person who is enthusiastic about the Eucharistic celebration is a beautiful thing,” Andrea Grillo, professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’ Anselmo in Rome, told CNN.
“But if he is looking to collect ‘Eucharistic miracles,’ then he is on the wrong track and must be guided in an authoritative manner.” He warned that such devotions risk steering the church toward “special signs” rather than deeper understanding of the Eucharist.
In 2018, twelve years after his death, Carlo’s body was exhumed, placed in a wax mask resembling his features, and displayed in a glass sarcophagus at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi.
A fragment of his heart was removed as a relic and has since been displayed around the world. At a youth event in Rome this summer, the relic drew packed crowds of young worshippers.
For many of them, Carlo is a saint who feels close to their own lives. “I feel like I have a closer connection to him because I was born on the year that he died,” said Gary Friesen, 19, from Canada.
“He had a lot of passion for the internet, for social media and the website for evangelization. And I have the same hobbies as him and on Instagram I try to spread the gospel as best as I can.”
Nearby, 21-year-old Olivia Santarelli from Vancouver explained his appeal in simpler terms. “He liked sports. He liked the internet, of course, and so he really just represents us young people,” she said. “But first and foremost for him was Jesus.”
