“`html
Carlo Acutis: Teenager Named First Millennial Saint by the Catholic Church
By Lucasโฃ Fernandez, World Today news | October 8, 2023
Vatican City – Tens of thousands of pilgrims flocked to theโ Vatican on Sunday, Octoberโ 8, 2023, to witness the historic canonization of Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager posthumously recognized as โthe โฃCatholic Church’s first millennial saint. Pope Leo XIV officially proclaimed Acutis a saint, a moment met with resounding applause from the assembled crowdโ in St.โค Peter’s Square.
Carlo acutis, whoโข tragically passed away fromโข leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, gained recognition for his dedication to spreading the Catholic faith through technology. He developed a websiteโฃ cataloging โฃmiracles โคattributed to the Eucharist, earning him the nickname “god’s Influencer.”
Theโฃ atmosphere inโ St. Peter’s Square was particularly vibrant with the presence of many young people, proudlyโฃ displaying โflags from variousโ nations and images of the “cyber-apostle.” Filippo Bellaviti, a 17-year-old pilgrim, shared, “Carlo Acutis is โan example for meโ because he was able to combine his everyday life – school, football and his passion forโค IT and computers -โข with an โunshakeable faith.”
approximately 800 devotees arrived via a special train from Assisi,โค the city where Acutis’s body is enshrined in a glass-walled tomb.Notably, he is often depicted in his everyday attire: jeans and โขNikeโข sneakers, a testament to his relatable and modern life.
The โceremony was also broadcast to Assisi, a meaningful medieval pilgrimage site and the birthplace of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint ofโ animals, allowing faithful there to participate remotely via giant screens.
Alongside acutis, Italian Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young man who died of polioโ in 1925 at the age of 24 and was celebrated for his social and spiritual commitment, was also canonized on Sunday.
Antonia Salzano,Carlo Acutis’s mother,expressed her belief that her son would โคbe deeply grateful to all those โwho came to celebrate hisโ elevation to sainthood. She has become a powerful advocate for her son’s legacy and the importance of โฃfaith in the digital age.
