WATCH: Politics, miracles and the process of picking a modern saint Leo said both men created “masterpieces” out of their lives by dedicating them to God.
“The greatest risk in life is to waste it outside of God’s plan,” Leo said in his homily.
In October 2006, at age 15, Acutis fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukemia.
Millions flock to Acutis’ tomb In the years since his death, young Catholics have flocked by the millions to Assisi, where they can see the young Acutis through a glass-sided tomb, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers and a sweatshirt.
Kowalsky said he was particularly excited that his own namesake — Pope Leo — would be canonizing the patron of his school.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV named a 15-year-old computer whiz the first millennial saint on Sunday, providing the next generation of Catholics with a relatable role model who spread the faith through technology and gained the moniker “God’s influencer.”. “.”.
At an outdoor Mass in St., Leo canonized Carlo Acutis, who passed away in 2006. An estimated 80,000 people, many of whom were millennials and couples with small children, passed by Peter’s sq\.. Another well-liked Italian who passed away young, Pier Giorgio Frassati, was also canonized by Leo during the first saint-making Mass of his pontificate.
WATCH: Choosing a contemporary saint: politics, miracles, and the process.
Leo claimed that both men dedicated their lives to God, turning them into “masterpieces.”.
In his homily, Leo stated that wasting life outside of God’s plan is the biggest risk. All of us, especially the younger generation, are invited by the new saints to “direct our lives upward and make them masterpieces, rather than squandering them.”. “.”.
A routine existence turned into an extraordinary one.
Born in London on May 3, 1991, Acutis came from a wealthy Catholic family that wasn’t very religious. He had a normal, contented childhood, albeit one that was characterized by growing religious devotion, after they returned to Milan shortly after his birth.
Acutis had a special interest in computer science and, even as a child, read college-level programming books. His primary technological legacy—a multilingual website chronicling alleged Eucharistic miracles acknowledged by the church—earned him the moniker “God’s Influencer.” He finished the project at a time when professionals were responsible for creating such websites.
Before the Eucharist every day, he was known to spend hours in prayer. Because the majority of Catholics, according to surveys, do not think that Christ is physically present in the Eucharistic hosts, the Catholic hierarchy has been working to promote the practice of Eucharistic adoration.
Acutis, however, apparently decided long before TikTok that real relationships were far more important than virtual ones, and he only played video games for an hour every week. For the Catholic hierarchy, which has raised the alarm about the perils of today’s technologically advanced society, that discipline and restraint have proven appealing.
Acutis became ill with what was promptly determined to be acute leukemia in October 2006, when he was fifteen years old. He was dead in a matter of days. He was interred in Assisi, which is well-known for being connected to another well-known saint, St. Francis.
Millions of people visit Acutis’ grave.
Since his passing, millions of young Catholics have traveled to Assisi to see the young Acutis in jeans, Nike sneakers, and a sweatshirt through a glass-sided tomb. Given that pieces of his heart have even traveled the world as relics, there have been many questions about how his body was so well preserved. He appears to be sleeping.
Following Pope Francis’ death in April, the two saint-making ceremonies that were originally planned for earlier this year were postponed. Sensing that the church needed someone like him to bring young Catholics to the faith while addressing the opportunities and dangers of the digital age, Francis had zealously pursued the Acutis sainthood case.
Leo Kowalsky, an eighth grader at a Chicago school affiliated with the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish, said, “It’s like I can maybe not be as great as Carlo may be, but I can be looking after him and be like, ‘What would Carlo do?’?”.
“I am especially thrilled that Pope Leo, my own namesake, will be canonizing the patron of my school,” Kowalsky said. Kowalsky stated in an interview last week that it is a pleasure to be a part of because “it’s kind of all mashed up into one thing.”.
The Vatican’s deliberate effort to provide the next generation of believers with a “saint next door” who was regular but accomplished extraordinary things in life is largely responsible for Acutis’ popularity. They discovered in Acutis a relatable tech-savvy millennial, which is the term used to characterize the first generation of people born in the new millennium, those born approximately between 1981 and 1996.
As a testament to the saints’ immense popularity among both the hierarchy and regular faithful, the Vatican reported that hundreds of priests, 270 bishops, and 36 cardinals had agreed to celebrate the Mass with Leo.
Popular religiosity for the internet era.
One hour prior to the Mass, St. Pilgrims already filled Peter’s sq\., many of them young Italian millennials pushing strolling toddlers.
Leopoldo Antimi, 27, a Roman who arrived early to reserve a place, said, “I heard from various people what his professors, his teachers said about his joy and the light he carried around him.”. Therefore, it is crucial for me as an Italian to have him as an influencer, even on heavily used social networks. “.”.
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The canonization of Acutis, according to Matthew Schmalz, a professor of religious studies at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, puts the church’s tradition of popular piety into the digital era.
“With discipline and an emphasis on traditional Catholic spirituality that transcends time, he becomes an emblem or model of how Catholics should approach and use the digital world,” he said in a statement. For the ever-evolving digital landscape of modern Catholicism, he is a new saint of simplicity. “”.
The other saint will be canonized on Sunday, Frassati, was born in 1901 and died of polio at the age of 24. Although he came from a well-known Turin family, he is renowned for his commitment to helping the underprivileged and performing charitable deeds while sharing his faith with his friends.
This report was produced by AP visual journalists Jessie Wardarski in Chicago and Trisha Thomas in Vatican City.
