The Vatican announced Monday, July 1, that Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who created a website documenting various Eucharistic miracles and led a devout life before his death at age 15, will be canonized.
Akutis was one of those 15 people Approved for canonization The incident occurred at the general assembly of cardinals on Monday, according to the Vatican news website.
“It’s incredible to hear this news,” said Alex Jones, CEO and co-founder of . Christian Prayer App Hello, told Fox News Digital in a text message.
Pope Francis paves way for canonization of first millennium saint Carlo Acutis
“Blessed Carlo is an incredible inspiration to us at Halo,” he said. “It often feels like the world is headed in the wrong direction and that technology is doing more harm than good, but God is still at work,
“God is still raising up saints and he is using everything he can, including technology, to build his kingdom,” Jones said.
Carlo Acutis, seen here before being diagnosed with leukemia, died at age 15. He was approved for canonization on Monday, July 1; the date of his canonization will be announced later. (Carlo Acutis Association)
During his life, Acutis “welcomed and cared for the poorest people, and he helped the homeless, the needy and immigrants with the money he saved from his weekly allowance,” Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, said in a brief presentation about Acutis’ life.
If canonized, Acutis will be the first canonized Catholic saint born between 1981 and 1996 — leading some to give him the nickname “God’s Influencer.”
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Born May 3, 1991, in London, Acutis was a devout Catholic who created a website to document Eucharistic miracles, Fox News Digital previously reported.
He died on 12 October 2006 in Monza, Italy, shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia.
After her death, her website and legacy lived on — and in 2020, a miracle linked to her intercession was approved and Recognized by the VaticanIn October of that year he was canonized, or given the title “Blessed.”
Pope Francis (left) meets with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro (right), prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, on Monday, July 1. Semeraro read a short summary of Acutis’ life in front of his fellow cardinals. (Vatican Media, via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
The Vatican’s announcement Monday shows that final approval is needed before Acutis can be given the official title of “Saint Carlo Acutis.”
While the Catholic Church holds that all people in heaven are saints, a process called “canonization” recognizes those who have led extraordinary lives.
The process typically begins five years after the person’s death, although this waiting period can be waived.
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Once a person has been approved by the Vatican and declared to have led a holy life, he or she is declared “venerable.” Vatican website.
Next, the Vatican has to approve the miracle caused by the potential saint’s intercession.
Acutis died in 2006. He will be the first millennial to be canonized by the Catholic Church. (Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Alleged miracles can be presented for investigation to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the organization that determines the validity of these claims.
Once a miracle is approved, a person may be declared “Blessed.”
The second approved miracle means that the person can be canonized and given the title of “saint”.
The Vatican has not yet announced when the canonization will take place.
This second miracle attributed to Acutis’ intercession was formally approved by the Vatican in May 2024.
The Vatican has not yet announced when the canonization will take place, but Vatican News reported it will likely be in 2025.
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“It’s very exciting that Carlo Acutis will be canonized during the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year,” Courtney Mars, a Vatican-based journalist and author of “Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers,” told Fox News Digital via text message.
“35 million people are expected to attend Trip to Rome For the Church’s 2025 Jubilee, we can expect large crowds for Acutis’ canonization, with young people and techies of all ages flocking to Rome for this historic ceremony.”
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The other 14 people approved for canonization on Monday include 11 men known as the “Martyrs of Damascus,” who were murdered in the 1860s.
Others include an Italian priest who founded a religious congregation; an Italian nun who founded a religious order; and a Canadian nun who founded a religious order.
