Pope Francis Paves Way for First Millennial Saint: Italian Teen Carlo Acutis

The late Carlo Acutis is one step away from becoming a saint.

Pope Francis cleared the way on Thursday for Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who cataloged Catholic miracles online before dying in 2006, to become the first millennial saint.

The Vatican attributed a second miracle to Acutis, who succumbed to leukemia at the age of 15. Known informally as “God’s influencer,” Acutis was credited with saving the life of Valeria, a young Costa Rican woman, long after his death. In July 2022, Valeria suffered severe head trauma from a bicycle accident in Florence, where she was attending university. Despite undergoing intense craniotomy surgery, doctors had little hope for her recovery.

The tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in Assisi

Desperate for help, Valeria’s mother made a pilgrimage to Acutis’ tomb in Assisi, where his remains are displayed, and prayed fervently for her daughter. Miraculously, a week after the accident, Valeria began to move and partially regained her speech. A CAT scan revealed that her hemorrhage had vanished. Her recovery was so rapid that she and her mother returned to Assisi the following month to give thanks.

Acutis faithfully cataloged Catholic miracles online before succumbing to leukemia in 2006.

The Pope and Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, head of the Vatican’s saint-making department, ruled that this unexpected recovery qualified as a miracle, advancing Acutis towards sainthood. Although the Vatican has not yet announced when the canonization will occur, the confirmation of this second miracle allows the process to proceed.

Canonization is a meticulous and often lengthy four-step process. A candidate must first be named a Servant of God, then a life of “heroic virtue” must be proved. After a verified miracle, the candidate is beatified and referred to as “Blessed.” A second confirmed miracle leads to canonization, recognizing the candidate as a saint.

Pope Francis attributed the miraculous recovery of a young Puerto Rican woman to Acutis.

During his short life, Acutis launched a website documenting every reported Eucharistic miracle and ministered to the homeless and hungry in his native Milan. Due to his significant role in evangelization through the internet, Acutis was named a patron of World Youth Day in Lisbon last year.