Lead: On September 7, 2025, the Vatican canonized Carlo Acutis, a teenager who died of leukemia in 2006, recognizing him as the first saint born in the millennial generation; the ceremony in Rome followed Vatican confirmation of two miracles attributed to his intercession and comes amid growing global devotion centered on his tomb in Assisi and a traveling relic.
Key Takeaways
- Carlo Acutis (b. May 3, 1991) died at 15 in 2006 from an aggressive leukemia and was raised in Milan after being born in London.
- The Vatican recognized two miracles linked to Acutis: a 4-year-old Brazilian boy’s pancreatic malformation and a 21-year-old Costa Rican woman’s sudden recovery after a severe bicycle crash.
- Acutis is widely known for using early internet tools to catalog Eucharistic miracles and for calling himslef an advocate for faith online—earning the nickname “God’s influencer.”
- His remains have been publicly hosted at the Sanctuary of the Spoliation in St. Mary Major Church in Assisi since April 6, 2019; the tomb is livestreamed and draws international pilgrims.
- A pericardium relic has toured roughly 25 countries, attracting large crowds; diocesan officials manage its transport and public veneration.
- The sainthood process began in 2012 in Milan; Nicola Gori served as postulator for the cause.
- Merchandise and pilgrimage interest have surged, prompting authorities to address unauthorized sales of relics and memorabilia.
Verified Facts
Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London and moved with his family to Milan in childhood. According to accounts preserved by his family and the diocesan cause, he showed early interest in both computer programming and Catholic practice, attending Mass frequently and creating a website that documented reported Eucharistic miracles.
He died in 2006 at age 15 from an aggressive form of leukemia. His body was transferred to the Sanctuary of the Spoliation in Assisi and, after conservation work, has been displayed there since April 6, 2019. The site is a focal point for pilgrims and is reportedly livestreamed around the clock.
The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints evaluated Acutis’ life and posthumous reputation; the Vatican officially recognized two miracles attributed to his intercession, a requirement for canonization. The reported cases involve a Brazilian child with a pancreatic malformation and a Costa Rican woman who recovered after a near-fatal cycling accident; both investigations were reviewed by Vatican medical and theological panels.
On September 7, 2025, Pope Leo XIV presided over the canonization ceremony at the Vatican, attended by thousands, including relatives and pilgrims. The family’s involvement in promoting the cause and covering procedural costs has been noted in public reporting, and Nicola Gori acted as the postulator guiding the cause in Rome.
Context & Impact
Acutis’ canonization marks a rare rapid progression through sainthood stages and the first formal recognition of a person born in the 1990s as a saint—often described as the Church’s first millennial saint. Church leaders say his example is intended to speak to young Catholics and those shaped by digital culture.
Pilgrimage patterns have shifted in Assisi: church officials reported nearly 1 million visitors to the diocese in the previous year, many of whom visit Acutis’ tomb alongside older Franciscan shrines. The pericardium relic’s international tour has drawn large crowds—reported attendance in some locations exceeded tens of thousands—prompting extensive pastoral and logistical planning.
Merchandise featuring Acutis’ image has proliferated online and in shops near pilgrimage sites; some items command high prices in secondary markets. Church authorities have stepped in where vendors offered purported bodily relics, asking police to investigate illicit sales.
Official Statements
“He is a model for young people who seek the Lord in contemporary culture,”
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, Diocese of Assisi
Unconfirmed
- Individual testimonies of cures and personal favors reported by pilgrims or posted online—while numerous—are not independently verified by Vatican medical processes.
- Anecdotal claims linking private family dreams or personal prophetic visits to the timing of miracles remain personal testimonies rather than documented evidence in the canonical process.
Bottom Line
The canonization of Carlo Acutis cements a high-profile example of a young, digitally engaged Catholic as a model for contemporary devotion. The Vatican’s recognition of two miracles enabled the formal step to sainthood; the broader cultural effect includes increased pilgrimage, debates over commercialization, and renewed attention on how the Church engages younger generations.