In a sign of changing times and a generational shift, the Catholic Church is set to have its first Millennial Saint. Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has paved the way for the canonization of Carlo Acutis, after which he will be elevated to the status of a saint. This will be the first time the Catholic Church will have a millennial as a saint.
Acutis was born in 1991 to Italian parents in London and died in Milan in 2006 at the age of 15 due to leukemia. Often referred to as 'God's Influencer' by many, Acutis is credited with using the internet and his computer skills to spread the Catholic faith. As a web designer, Acutis, at a young age, created a website to document Eucharistic miracles and approved Marian apparitions (reported incidents of the supernatural appearance of Mother Mary).
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Due to his "important role in evangelization through the internet," Acutis was named a patron of last year's World Youth Day in Lisbon.
The Catholic Church officially began the process of canonization of Acutis in 2020 with his beatification—the first step towards sainthood. This was after the Church accepted a miracle that was attributed to him.
Pope Francis recently attributed a second miracle to Acutis during a meeting with the head of the Vatican's saint-making department, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro. The attribution of a second miracle means that he can now be elevated to sainthood, but the Vatican did not say when this would happen.
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The Roman Catholic Church teaches that only God performs miracles, but that saints who are believed to be with God in heaven intercede on behalf of people who pray to them. Typically, miracles are the medically inexplicable healing of a person. There are more than 10,000 saints recognized by the Roman Catholic Church.
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