Catholic teen Carlo Acutis will become the first millennial saint in the history of the Catholic Church. He is known as "God's Influencer" because of his way of spreading the faith using the internet. An expensive mass will be held at the Vatican where thousands of devotees are expected to attend.
Carlo, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was presented in St. Peter's Square by Pope Leo XIV. His body, dressed in jeans and Nike trainers, lies in a glass tomb in Assisi that is visited by thousands of people every year.
Carlo grew up in Milan, Italy, and although his family was not very devout, he attended mass every day and helped bullied children and the homeless, providing food and sleeping bags. He also knows how to code and has used it to document miracles and other aspects of faith on the internet.
The Vatican has recognized two miracles performed through Carlo: the healing of a Brazilian boy with a rare pancreatic disease and the recovery of a Costa Rican student from a serious accident. In 2020, he was beatified by Pope Francis, one of the steps towards sainthood.
According to his mother, Carlo is proof that “we are all called to be saints... each one is special.” The church encourages many young people to follow Carlo's example, especially in using positive ways on social media and helping others.
