'God's influencer': First millennial to be made saint next year

Carlo Acutis, a London-born teenager nicknamed "God's influencer" and “the patron saint of the internet” for his online skills, will be made a saint in April 2025.

He will become the first millennial to be canonised by the Catholic church.

Acutis, who recorded miracles online and ran websites for Catholic organisations, died of leukaemia in 2006 at the age of 15.

He died in Monza, in Italy, having spent much of his childhood there. After his death, his body was moved to the Italian town of Assisi, where it is now displayed in a shrine, alongside other relics linked to him.

Sainthood in the Catholic Church requires two verified miracles attributed to the candidate’s intercession.

Acutis’ first miracle was recognized in 2020, involving the miraculous healing of a Brazilian child suffering from a congenital disease. A tapestry featuring a portrait of Carlo Acutis was hung in the St. Francis Basilica in Assisi during his beatification ceremony on 10 October 2020. The second miracle, confirmed this year, involved the healing of a university student in Florence who recovered from severe brain bleeding.

His story is seen as helpful for the Catholic Church as it seeks to connect better with younger generations in a digital age.

Pope Francis, a vocal admirer of Acutis, will canonize the digital evangelist during a ceremony at the Vatican on 26 April 2025.