Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who designed a website documenting Eucharistic miracles and lived a devout life until his death at age 15, will be canonized, the Vatican announced on Monday, July 1.
Acutis was one of 15 people approved for canonization at a conclave of cardinals on Monday, according to the Vatican news website.
“I can’t believe this news,” Alex Jones, CEO and co-founder of Christian prayer app Hello, told Fox News Digital in a text message.
Pope Francis paves the way for the canonization of Carlo Acutis, first saint of the millennium
“Blessed Carlo is a great inspiration to us here at Harrow,” he said, “and although it often feels like the world is going in the wrong direction and technology is doing more harm than good, God is still at work.”
“God is still raising up saints and can use anything, including technology, to build the kingdom of God,” Jones said.
Carlo Acutis died at the age of 15, before being diagnosed with leukemia. His canonization was approved on Monday, July 1, but the date of canonization will be announced at a later date. (Carlo Acutis Association)
Throughout his life, Bishop Acutis “showed warmth and compassion for the poorest of people, helping the homeless, the needy and immigrants with money he saved from his weekly allowance,” Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for Beatifications, said in a short presentation on Bishop Acutis’ life.
If Acutis is canonized, he will be the first canonized Catholic saint born between 1981 and 1996, and some have called him a “divine influencer.”
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Born in London on May 3, 1991, Acutis was a devout Catholic who ran a website documenting Eucharistic miracles, Fox News Digital previously reported.
He died on October 12, 2006 in Monza, Italy, shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia.
After his death, his website and legacy live on, and in 2020 miracles attributed to his intercession were recognized. The Vatican has approvedHe was beatified in October of that year and given the title “Blessed One.”
Pope Francis (left) met with Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro (right), prefect of the Congregation for Beatifications, on Monday, July 1. Cardinal Semeraro read a short summary of Acutis’ life to the other cardinals. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
The Vatican’s announcement on Monday marked the final approval needed to give Acutis the official title of “Saint Carlo Acutis.”
The Catholic Church recognizes everyone in heaven as a saint, but a process called canonization recognises those who have led extraordinary lives.
This process usually begins five years after a person’s death, although this waiting period can sometimes be waived.
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According to the Vatican’s website, people who are recognized by the Vatican and declared to have lived a holy life are declared “Venerable.”
The Vatican would then have to approve any miracles attributed to the potential saint’s intercession.
Acutis died in 2006. He became the first millennial to be canonized by the Catholic Church. (Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Alleged miracles are sometimes submitted for investigation to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the body that determines the validity of such claims.
Once a miracle is recognized, the person is “beatified.”
The second recognized miracle means that the person is canonized and given the title of “saint.”
The Vatican has yet to announce when the canonization will take place.
This second miracle attributable to the intercession of Actis was officially recognized by the Vatican in May 2024.
The Vatican has not yet announced when the canonization will take place, but Vatican News reported that it is likely to take place in 2025.
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“I am very pleased that Carlo Acutis will likely be canonized as a saint during the Holy Year of the Catholic Church,” Courtney Mears, a Vatican-based journalist and author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: The Saint Who Wore Sneakers,” told Fox News Digital in a text message.
“The canonization of Acutis is expected to draw huge crowds, with 35 million people expected to visit Rome for the Church’s Jubilee in 2025. Young people and tech geeks of all ages will flock to Rome for this historic event.”
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The 14 others approved for canonization on Monday include 11 people known as the “Martyrs of Damascus”, who were killed in 1860.
Others include an Italian priest who founded a religious community, an Italian nun who founded a religious community, and a Canadian nun who founded a religious community.
