Pope Leo XIV has declared Carlo Acutis, a London-born computer prodigy who died in 2006, the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.
The 15-year-old, dubbed “God’s influencer” for his innovative use of technology to spread the faith, was canonised during an open-air Mass in St Peter’s Square on Sunday.
The ceremony, Pope Leo’s first saint-making Mass, drew tens of thousands of attendees, including many millennials and young families.
Alongside Carlo, Leo also canonised Pier Giorgio Frassati, another popular Italian figure who died young.
The Vatican noted the presence of 36 cardinals, 270 bishops, and hundreds of priests, signifying the broad appeal of both new saints to the church hierarchy and ordinary faithful.
The canonisations were originally scheduled for earlier this year but were postponed following the death of Pope Francis in April.
Francis had been a fervent advocate for Carlo’s sainthood, convinced the Church needed such a figure to attract young Catholics and address the promises and perils of the digital age.
A hour before the Mass, St Peter’s Square was already full with pilgrims, many of them young millennial Italians who had found in Carlo a relatable role model.
“I learned from different people what his professors, his teachers said about his joy and the light he carried around him,” said Leopoldo Antimi, a 27-year-old Roman who got to the square early to secure a spot.
“So for me personally as an Italian, even on social networks that are used so much, it is important to have him as an influencer.”
Carlo was born on 3 May, 1991, in London to a wealthy but not particularly observant Catholic family.
They moved back to Milan soon after he was born and he enjoyed a typical, happy childhood, albeit marked by increasingly intense religious devotion.
Carlo was particularly interested in computer science and devoured college-level books on programming even as a youngster.
He earned the nickname “God’s Influencer” thanks to his main tech legacy: a multilingual website documenting so-called Eucharistic miracles recognised by the church, a project he completed at a time when the development of such sites was the domain of professionals.
