Carlo Acutis Canonised as First Millennial Saint Today

The canonisation of Italian teenager Carlo Acutis as the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint took place today at the Vatican. Originally scheduled for April 27 during the Jubilee of Teenagers, the ceremony was postponed due to the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025. Following the late pope’s funeral on April 26, a special Mass transformed into a celebration of Acutis, drawing around 200,000 attendees, primarily young people.

The canonisation Mass began at 10:00 AM local time (9:00 AM Irish time) and was broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Radio 1 Extra. Alongside Acutis, Pier Giorgio Frassati, a notable figure in the Church known for his dedication to charity, was also canonised today.

Acutis, who passed away from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, is often referred to as “the patron saint of the internet” and “God’s influencer.” He developed a website dedicated to Eucharistic miracles and is celebrated for his compassion towards the less fortunate. Despite coming from a wealthy background, he is remembered for his outreach, including providing food and sleeping bags to the homeless. Many of those he helped attended his funeral, demonstrating the impact he had on his community.

When Acutis was declared ‘Blessed’ by the Church in 2020, Pope Francis noted that his life exemplified that “holiness is attainable even in our modern world.”

The process of canonisation requires two miracles attributed to an individual after their death. The first miracle, recognized in 2020, involved the healing of a Brazilian child with a pancreatic defect, which reportedly occurred after the child came into contact with one of Acutis’s t-shirts. The second miracle, formally acknowledged in May 2024, involved a 21-year-old Costa Rican woman named Valeria Valverde, who suffered a severe head injury in a bicycle accident while studying in Florence, Italy. After her mother prayed at Acutis’s tomb in Assisi, Valverde’s condition significantly improved, leading to a remarkable recovery.

The Church defines a miracle as a healing or event that can only be attributed to divine power. To be recognized, two-thirds of a medical board comprising at least six doctors must affirm that the event cannot be explained by natural causes.

Frassati, often overlooked amid the excitement surrounding Acutis, was an engineering student and mountaineering enthusiast who died from polio at age 24 in 1925. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1990. His canonisation today is notable as it marks the first for Pope Leo XIV, who was elected in May and is the first pontiff from the United States.

The canonisation ceremony is significant within the context of the Jubilee Year, which has drawn over 24 million visitors to Rome, according to the Vatican. This momentous occasion reflects the Church’s ongoing efforts to connect with younger generations and highlight the relevance of faith in contemporary society.