Carlo Acutis, “God’s Influencer,” Set to Become First Millennial Saint in April

A teenager born in London, known by the moniker “God’s influencer” due to his proficiency with online platforms, is scheduled to be declared a saint in April. Carlo Acutis, who succumbed to leukaemia in 2006 at the age of 15, will be the inaugural millennial—defined as an individual born between the early 1980s and late 1990s—to undergo canonisation by the Catholic Church. Pope Francis previously paved the way for his sainthood by officially attributing a second miracle to him in May. The young man has also been referred to as “the patron saint of the internet” because of his efforts in documenting miracles online and managing websites for various Catholic organizations. His beatification, which involved the attribution of his first miracle—the recovery of a Brazilian child diagnosed with a congenital disease—occurred in 2020. Although Carlo Acutis was born in the UK, he passed away in Monza, Italy, after spending a significant portion of his childhood there. His remains were transferred to the town of Assisi one year following his death, where they are currently displayed alongside other associated relics. Mr. Acutis earned his nickname partly through his work designing websites for his local parish and school, but he primarily gained recognition for launching a website dedicated to cataloguing every reported Eucharistic miracle. This website went live online mere days before his passing and has since been translated into multiple languages, serving as the foundation for an exhibition that has toured globally. Miracles are typically subject to investigation and evaluation over several months, with an individual becoming eligible for sainthood once two miracles are attributed to them. For an event to be considered a miracle, it generally must involve an act perceived as exceeding natural possibilities, such as the sudden recovery of someone deemed to be on the verge of death. The second miracle attributed to Mr. Acutis occurred in 2024, when a university student in Florence experienced healing from bleeding on the brain, despite having sustained head trauma. Pope Francis informed an audience at the Vatican that the teenager’s canonisation would take place during the weekend commencing 26 April.