London-born Teenager Set to Become Saint After Second Miracle Approved by Pope
Carlo Acutis, a London-born teenager known for his proficiency at spreading the teachings of the Catholic church online, is set to become a saint after Pope Francis attributed a second miracle to him. Acutis, who died in 2006 at the age of 15, will be the first millennial to be canonised.
The second miracle involved the healing of a university student in Florence who had bleeding on the brain after suffering head trauma. This miracle, along with the healing of a Brazilian child of a congenital disease affecting his pancreas, led to Acutis being beatified in 2020.
Acutis, who spent much of his childhood in Italy, where he died of leukemia in Monza, became known for designing websites for his parish and school. He also launched a website seeking to document every reported Eucharistic miracle, which gained international recognition.
His nickname, “God’s influencer,” was attributed to him after his death due to his impactful work. His website has been translated into multiple languages and used as the basis for an exhibition that has traveled around the world.
In the UK, the Archbishop of Birmingham established the Parish of Blessed Carlo Acutis, incorporating churches in Wolverhampton and Wombourne. Additionally, a statue of the soon-to-be-saint can be found in Carfin Grotto, a Roman Catholic shrine in Motherwell.
Miracles are typically investigated and assessed over several months, with a person becoming eligible for sainthood after two miracles are attributed to them. The most recent person to be canonised was Maria Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, also known as Mama Antula, an 18th-century religious sister who became Argentina’s first female saint.
