Pope Declares the First Millennial Saint

At Wednesday's weekly audience (20 November), Pope Francis announced the canonisation of the Catholic Church's first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, 27 April 2025 next. Acutis, who was born to Italian parents in London, was a web designer who died of leukemia in Italy in 2006 at the age of 15. Pope Francis beatified him in 2020 in Assisi, where his tomb draws a steady stream of pilgrims.

Acutis was beatified in 2020 after a miracle was formally attributed to him, one of the last steps in the lengthy process to sainthood, with a second miracle recognized in May.

The teen, who has been nicknamed “God’s influencer,” was a devout Catholic and used his computer coding skills to create a website chronicling Catholic miracles and apparitions. His remains, wearing jeans and Nike sneakers, is displayed in a tomb in the Italian town of Assisi and draws thousands of pilgrims each year.

"I want to say that next year on the day of children and adolescents, I will canonize Carlo Acutis,” the pope said.


Pope Francis sets date for canonisation of Bl. Carlo Acutis: https://youtube.com/watch?v=TdlLhwMbTNg