Italian teen becomes first Catholic saint of new millennium

The Vatican announced on Monday, July 1, that Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager who created a website documenting various Eucharistic miracles and lived a life of faith before his death at the age of 15, will be declared a saint.

Acutis was one of 15 people approved for canonization at a regular conclave of cardinals on Monday, according to Vatican News.

“This is amazing to hear,” Alex Jones, CEO and co-founder of the Christian prayer app Hello, told Fox News Digital in a text message.

“Blessed Carlo is an incredible inspiration to us at Halo,” he said.

“Often it may feel like the world is going in the wrong direction and technology is causing more harm than good, but God is still at work.”

“God is still raising up saints and is able to use everything, including technology, to build his kingdom,” Jones added.

In a brief account of Acutis’ life, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, said that during his life Acutis was “hospitable and caring for the poor, helping the homeless, the needy and immigrants with the money he saved from his weekly allowance.”

When canonized, Acutis will be the first Catholic saint born between 1981 and 1996 to be canonized, leading some to call him “the influencer of God.”

Born May 3, 1991, in London, Acutis was a devout Catholic who created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles, Fox News Digital previously reported.

He died on October 12, 2006, in Monza, Italy, shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia.

After his death, his website and legacy continued—and in 2020, the miracle attributed to his intercession was approved and recognized by the Vatican.

He was beatified, or given the title of “blessed,” in October of that year.

The Vatican’s announcement on Monday was the final approval needed before Acutis could be given the official title of “Saint Carlo Acutis.”

While the Catholic Church recognizes all those in heaven as saints, a process called “canonization” recognizes those who have lived exceptional lives.

This process usually begins five years after the person’s death, although it is possible to waive this waiting period.

Once the Vatican approves a person and declares him or her to have lived a holy life, he or she is declared “venerable,” according to the Vatican website.

The Vatican then has to approve the miracle attributed to the potential saint’s intercession.

Alleged miracles can be submitted for investigation to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the organization that determines the legitimacy of such claims.

After one miracle is approved, a person can be “beatified.”

The second approved miracle means that the person can be declared a saint and given the title of “saint.”

This second miracle attributed to Acutis’ intercession was officially approved by the Vatican in May 2024.

The Vatican has not yet announced a date for the pope’s canonization, but Vatican News reported that it is likely to take place in 2025.

“It is very exciting that Carlo Acutis has been declared a saint during the Jubilee Year of the Catholic Church,” Courtney Mares, a Vatican-based journalist and author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: Saint in Sneakers,” told Fox News Digital via text message.

“With 35 million people expected to travel to Rome for the Church’s Jubilee in 2025, we can expect huge crowds for Acutis’ canonization, with many young people and tech enthusiasts of all ages flocking to Rome for this historic event.”

Among the other 14 people approved for sainthood on Monday are 11 men known as the “Martyrs of Damascus,” who were killed in 1860.

Among them were an Italian priest who founded a religious community, an Italian nun who founded a religious order, and a Canadian nun who founded a religious order.