Trigger warning: real footage of a deceased person
The first millennial saint is said to be a “computer geek” who died of leukemia at 15 in 2006, after which he was credited with multiple miracles, including the healing of a Costa Rican woman and a Brazilian boy.
Carlo Acutis, a London-born computer prodigy, is anticipated to be made the Catholic Church's first-ever millennial saint by Pope Francis after performing a series of miracles after his death.
Highlights
- Carlo Acutis, a computer prodigy who died at 15 in 2006, is set to become the first millennial saint.
- Carlo was credited with miracles such as healing a Costa Rican woman and a Brazilian boy.
- Nicknamed 'God's influencer' and 'the patron saint of the internet', Carlo promoted Christ's work online before his death.
Carlo was given the nicknames “God's influencer” and “the patron saint of the internet” because of his devotion to promoting Christ's work online before he died.
According to Will Conquer’s 2021 book Carlo Acutis: A Millennial in Paradise, the English-born Italian was skilled in using Dreamweaver, Java, C++, and Ubuntu, and he often helped others with technical issues.
Carlo Acutis, a London-born computer prodigy who died of leukemia at 15 in 2006, is set to become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint
Image credits: NBC News
When he was 14, his priest asked him to create a webpage for his parish, Santa Maria Segreta, in Milan.
A priest at his high school subsequently asked him to create a website to promote volunteering.
“He was an expert with computers, he read books on computer engineering and left everyone in awe, but he put his gift at the service of others and used it to help his friends,” Carlo’s mother, Antonia Acutis, said, the Catholic News Agency reported in October 2007.
A devoted Roman Catholic in his lifetime, Carlo was described as “a great friend of Jesus Christ, he was a daily communicant and he trusted in the Virgin Mary” in Nicola Gori’s The Eucharist: My Road to Heaven: A Biography of Carlo Acutis.
Image credits: NBC News
According to the book, the website designer “was a teen of our times, like many others.”
It further stated: “Succumbing to leukemia at the age of 15, he offered his life for the Pope and for the Church.”
“As a little boy, especially after his First Communion, he never missed his daily appointment with the Holy Mass and the Rosary, followed by a moment of Eucharistic adoration,” Antonia recalled back in 2007.
According to Will’s 2021 book, Carlo developed an inflammation of the throat on 1 October 2006.
Carlo was credited with multiple miracles, including healing a Costa Rican woman and a Brazilian boy
Image credits: NBC News
Following days of various complications and hospitalizations, the spiritual teen was brought to a clinic that specialized in blood diseases, and he was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.
With a very poor prognosis, Carlo was rushed to intensive care and put on a respirator. He was finally transferred to San Gerardo Hospital north of Milan, one of only three hospitals in Italy equipped to treat his condition at the time.
The hospital chaplain was called in and performed the anointing of the sick, a Catholic sacrament administered to bring spiritual and even physical strength during an illness, especially near the time of death.
The book further states that Carlo died on 12 October 2006 at 6:45 p.m. His funeral was notable for garnering a vast amount of youths who had reportedly abandoned the church.
Image credits: Insider News
As per the faithful boy’s wishes, Carlo was buried in Assissi. Nevertheless, on 6 April 2018, his body was brought to the Sanctuary of the Spoliation in Assissi so that the faithful could visit his final resting spot and venerate his body.
His body has since been on display. People can still visit Carlo and see him wearing his favorite Nike trainers, jeans, and a sweatshirt.
Now, almost 20 years after his death, Pope Francis has recognized a miracle attributed to Carl after he passed away, The Daily Mail reported on Thursday (May 23).
The miracle involved the mother of Costa Rican Valeria Valverde, who suffered a serious bike accident.
Carlo was nicknamed “God's influencer” and “the patron saint of the internet” because of his religious devotion online before he died
Image credits: Insider News
The mom reportedly prayed at Carlo’s glass casket and left a note asking for her 21-year-old daughter to be healed in 2022.
The same day, Valeria reportedly began to breathe independently, and 10 days later, she was discharged from intensive care because the hemorrhage in her brain had completely disappeared.
As a result, Pope Francis recently signed a decree that paves the way for Carlo to become a saint because the Vatican reportedly said the teen also interceded from heaven in 2013 to cure a Brazilian boy suffering from a rare pancreatic disease.
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi told The Times on Thursday: “The Church in Assisi is in celebration.”
“I plan to arrive in Assisi this evening to thank the Lord in a Eucharistic celebration.
“But as of now, I join the faithful who are in the shrine for a prayer of praise.”
With the canonization of “Mama Antula” on February 11, Pope Francis has canonized (officially declaring a dead person a saint) a record 912 saints since the start of his pontificate, Aleteia reported in February 2024.
Anyone can become a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, but this status is only granted after death, according to Al Jazeera’s 2016 exposé on Mother Theresa.
Pope Francis recently signed a decree that paved the way for Carlo to become a saint
There are, however, certain criteria to be granted this status, which is only given after death:
1. Servant of God: A formal request for an individual to be considered for sainthood is submitted to a special Vatican tribunal.
The request must explain how the person lived a life of holiness, pureness, kindness, and devotion.
If the candidate meets the requirements, the tribunal officially recognizes this person to be a Servant of God.
2. Heroically virtuous: The tribunal report is sent to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints at the Vatican.
The Congregation, composed of theologians, cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, studies the person’s life and writings to ensure they are in line with the teachings of the church.
The candidate must be found to possess four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, and courage) and three theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity) to be declared venerable and of heroic virtue.
3. Beatification and miracles: If the person was martyred (suffered death or persecution in the name of their faith), he or she may be beatified and named Blessed without further investigation.
This is a locally recognized sainthood whereupon the person may be worshipped in his or her city, diocese, region, or religious community.
If not martyred, the person must be responsible for the occurrence of a posthumous miracle verified by the congregation.
Miracles could include, for instance, healings or liquefaction, which is when the body of the saint or the representation thereof liquefies each year on the day of his or her death.
4. Canonisation: One more demonstrated posthumous miracle must occur as a result of the person’s intercession for the person to be canonized.
The person is canonized through a formal papal decree that states the candidate is holy and in heaven with God.
The Pope makes the declaration during a special mass in honor of the new saint.
In Mother Teresa’s case, two miracles were credited to prayers offered after her death: a man in Brazil with brain abscesses awoke from a coma and the stomach tumor of a woman in India disappeared.
"He deserves to be a saint," a reader commented
