“God’s Influencer”: Teen Carlo Acutis Becomes the Church’s First Millennial Saint

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Tens of thousands of people gathered at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday as Pope Leo XIV declared Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian teenager, the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint. Known as “God’s Influencer,” Acutis was recognised for spreading the Catholic faith online.

Carlo, who was born in London and died of leukemia in 2006, was canonised in a solemn ceremony attended by his family. The Vatican estimated the crowd at around 80,000, with many young people present.

“He was able to combine his everyday life – school, football, and his passion for computers – with an unshakeable faith,” said 17-year-old Filippo Bellaviti. “Seeing people from so many parts of the world, you can feel the affection for Carlo and what he accomplished.”

The ceremony also celebrated Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian mountaineer who died of polio at age 24 in 1925, who was made a saint alongside Carlo. Tapestries showing images of both young men adorned the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica.

In his homily, Pope Leo said, “Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis invite all of us, especially young people, not to waste our lives, but to aim high and make them masterpieces. Even when illness struck and cut their lives short, it did not stop them from loving and dedicating themselves to God.”