Pope Leo XIV officially canonized Carlo Acutis, marking the arrival of the Catholic Church’s first “millennial saint.”
The 15-year-old computer prodigy, hailed as “God’s Influencer,” was recognized for leveraging his coding talents to share Catholic teachings online, forging a bridge between faith and digital culture.
The Vatican estimates around 70,000–80,000 people, many millennials and families, attended the mass, according to Reuters.
Carlo Acutis, born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, died at just 15 from leukemia in 2006. Despite his youth, he demonstrated extraordinary devotion, praying daily, attending Mass regularly, and working on digital projects to share his faith.
Most notably, he created a website cataloging Eucharistic miracles worldwide, effectively becoming a “cyber apostle” long before his sainthood.
His canonization was accelerated by two miracles attributed to his intercession: one involving the healing of a Brazilian boy’s pancreatic condition in 2020, and another concerning the recovery of a Costa Rican student in Italy from major head trauma in 2022.
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV lauded both Carlo and fellow canonized figure Pier Giorgio Frassati as visionaries who turned their ordinary lives into “masterpieces” for God.
Pope Leo XIV:
“Brothers and sisters, today is a wonderful feast for all of Italy, for the whole Church, for the whole world! Before beginning the solemn celebration of the Canonization, I wanted to greet you all and say a few words, because, while the celebration is very solemn, it is also a day of great joy! I wished especially to greet the many young people who have come for this Holy Mass!It is truly a blessing from the Lord to be here together with all of you who have come from different countries. It is truly a gift of faith that we want to share.
After Holy Mass, if you can be patient for a little while, I hope to come and greet you in the Square. So, if you are far away now, let us hope that we can at least greet each other afterwards.
I greet the families of the two Blesseds, soon to be Saints, the official Delegations, the many bishops and priests who have come. Let us give all of them a round of applause; and thank you for being here, consecrated men and women, and Catholic Action!
Let us prepare ourselves prayerfully for this liturgical celebration, with open hearts, and truly desire to receive this grace from the Lord. Let each of us also feel in our hearts what Pier Giorgio and Carlo experienced, namely this love for Jesus Christ, especially in the Eucharist, but also in the poor, in our brothers and sisters. All of you, all of us too, are called to be Saints. May God bless you! Enjoy this celebration! Thank you for being here!
More from Vatican News:
In his homily, the Pope reflected on the extraordinary witness of both new Saints. Recalling words from the first Sunday reading from the Book of Wisdom, the Pope observed that, like King Solomon, these young men sought the gift of wisdom to better understand God’s plans for our lives and world, and follow them faithfully. And in doing so, they used their gifts to bring others to God through their example, words, and actions.
Carlo Acutis, witness of holiness in simplicity
Speaking about the witness of young Italian Saint Carlo Acutis, a teenager of our own day, the Pope spoke about how he encountered Jesus in his family, thanks to his parents, Andrea and Antonia, recalling their presence at this celebration along with his two siblings, Francesca and Michele.
Saint Carlo also found and lived his faith through school, but especially the sacraments celebrated in the parish community, the Pope went on to say, noting how “he grew up naturally integrating prayer, sport, study and charity into his days as a child and young man.”
Cultivating love for God and neighbour
Daily Mass, prayer, and especially Eucharistic Adoration, marked the lives of Saints Pier Giorgio and Carlo in cultivating their love for God and neighbor through simple acts of charity, the Pope said.
And even as illness struck both of them, cutting their lives short, they continued to bear witness to hope and offer themselves to God, the Pope added, recalling how Pier Giorgio once said: “The day of my death will be the most beautiful day of my life”; and how young Carlo often remarked that “heaven has always been waiting for us, and that to love tomorrow is to give the best of our fruit today.”
Making “masterpieces” of our lives
In conclusion, Pope Leo underscored how both Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis invite everyone, “especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
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