A BRIT teenager dubbed “God’s influencer” who died aged 15 has become the first millennial saint after performing a slew of miracles.
London-born Carlo Acutis, who died from in 2006, was canonised in a highly-anticipated ceremony led by Pope Leo in front of tens of .
Carlo Acutis has been canonised as the first ever millennial saint
The London-born miracle-performer died aged 15 in 2006
Flocks of Catholics gathered for the historic ceremony
Tens of thousands of people gathered for the ceremony on Sunday
It marked Pope Leo’s first canonisation ceremony
was approved by last year after a second miracle attributed to Carlo was approved by the Vatican.
His on Sunday now puts him in the same ranks as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi.
The awe-inspiring open-air Mass in St. Peters Square was attended by tens of thousands of devotees from around the world.
In the first saint-making Mass of his pontificate, Leo also canonised another popular Italian figure who died young, Pier Giorgio Frassati.
A total of 36 cardinals, 270 bishops and hundreds of priests attended the historic celebration.
The drew the attention of Catholics across the globe after learning to code websites and spreading his faith.
He was set to be given a catholic sainthood on April 27, 2025, by Francis.
The complicated canonisation process involves a candidate being named a servant of God, their life being proved as a heroic virtue, the candidate being beatified and then finally being canonised as a Saint.
However, the Vatican said it has postponed the sainthood of Carlo, whose body has been perfectly preserved after he died as a teenager, following the .
The former Pope had fervently pushed Carlo’s sainthood case forward – convinced that the church needed someone like him to attract young Catholics to the faith.
Pope Francis had also been very impressed by Carlo’s ability to connect with new-gen Catholics in the digital age.
St. Peter’s Square was already packed with pilgrims brimming with excitement hours before the start of the holy event.
Pope Leo told pious crowds that both Carlo and Pier Giorgio were examples of holiness, and of helping those in need.
The pontiff told spilling crowds in the Vatican: “All of you, all of us together, are called to be saints.”
One god-fearing Catholic attending the ceremony told Reuters: “We are very pleased to be here because Carlo and Pier Giorgio are two examples of young people full of God, full of grace, and we want to follow their steps.”
Being made a saint means the Church believes a person lived a holy life and is now in Heaven with God.
Tens of thousands of young Catholics from around the globe attended
Spilling crowds lined up to get a glimpse of the event
Pope Leo spoke to the masses in St. Peter’s Square
Bishops attended the jaw-dropping event
‘God’s Influencer’
Italian boy Carlos, who was born in , was credited with many miracles, including healing a six-year-old boy who inexplicably recovered from a rare pancreatic condition after touching a relic of Acutis.
He lived an all-too-short life of devout religious work and also created a website to document every reported Eucharistic miracle.
The boy also regularly provided care and support to the homeless in his native Milan.
The Brit-born teen requested to be buried in Assisi before his death, having become an admirer of St. Francis of Assisi because of his dedication to the poor.
His body lies encased in a wax layer which is moulded to look like his body before his burial.
Carlo's miracles
by Harvey Geh
SAINT Carlo Acutis performed a slew of miracles – some of which were recognised by the Vatican.
In 2020, a young Brazilian boy born with a rare pancreatic condition was healed after touching a relic of Carlo and receiving prayers for his intercession.
Mattheus Vianna, who was six years old, touched a picture of Carlo at a Mass held on the anniversary of Carlo’s death, October 12, asked to “stop vomiting so much” – before he was instantly healed.
In 2022 a Costa Rican university student named Valeria Valverde suffered a severe head injury with brain hemorrhage.
She became critically ill and had to undergo surgery.
Her mum prayed at Carlo’s tomb in Assisi, and Valeria began breathing on her own the same day, later recovering fully with no medical explanation.
Carlo’s mum also told Italian media that one woman who had been diagnosed with breast cancer prayed to her holy son – before being completely healed without the help of chemotherapy.
The teenage saint spent years building a website documenting Eucharistic miracles before his tragic death.
The teenage saint is clad in a tracksuit and sneakers and has been on display for veneration in the sanctuary for more than five years.
His heart is also on display in a reliquary in the nearby St. Francis Basilica.
After being laid to rest in 2019, his holy legacy lived on – and in 2020, the miracle in which he healed a six-year-old boy attributed to his intervention was recognised by the Vatican.
In October that year, he was given the title “Blessed”, which means to be beatified.
This came after a second miracle attributed to Carlo was aprooved by the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV leading the holy Mass on Sunday
Carlo’s body on display pictured on Sunday
Pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square for the canonisation of Carlo and Pier Giorgio
This miracle saw the teen’s spirit responsible for saving the life of a young Costa Rican woman who suffered severe head trauma after falling from her bicycle in Florence in 2022.
The woman required intense surgery, but after her desperate mother made the pilgrimage to Carlo’s tomb, her daughter suddenly started moving and regaining speech just days later.
CAT scans on the recovering woman, named Valeria Valverde, then showed that her haemorrhage had disappeared.
The mother and daughter then both made the pilgrimage to Assisi one month later after making a speedy recovery.
Who is 'God's Influencer'?
by Lydia Doyle
- “God’s Influencer”, Carlo Acutis, was born in London in 1991.
- Carlo later moved to Milan with his Italian parents.
- According to his parents, Carlo would always ask to visit churches he passed in Milan from the age of three.
- His mum Antonia Salzano said he would often donate his pocket money to poor people and take meals and sleeping bags to rough sleepers.
- Carlo also had an eye for web design and designed sites for his parish and school.
- Carlo launched a website seeking to document every reported Eucharistic miracle.
- The teenager died from leukaemia in 2006, and during his burial in 2019, the church was reportedly so full that people were lining up outside to get in.
- Carlo was attributed to two Vatican-recognised miracles.
- These meant he was beatified as a saint – making him the first “millennial saint”.
- His first miracle was the healing of a six-year-old Brazilian boy who was suffering from a rare pancreatic disorder.
- The boy was cured after touching one of Carlo’s T-shirts.
- The second saw a Costa Rican woman miraculously recover from a severe bicycle accident injury.
- The woman recovered after her mum made a pilgrimage to Carlo’s tomb.
