A teenager who died at the age of 15 will make history by becoming the first millennial saint. On Monday, July 1, 2024, the College of Cardinals met with Pope Francis in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace for an Ordinary Public Consistory. During the meeting, they voted to approve the canonization of Carlo Acutis. A date for when the late teen will be recognized as a saint has not yet been confirmed. It was, however, stated that it's likely to happen during the 2025 Jubilee, which is an event that's celebrated by the Catholic Church every 25 years.
According to the Vatican News, the pope previously stated that the Jubilee Year would begin on December 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica and will end in churches throughout the world on December 28, 2025. On January 6, 2026, it will come to an end in Rome during the Solemnity of Epiphany.
Carlo was a web designer and documented Eucharistic miracles. Born in London, England, on May 3, 1991, he died from leukemia on October 12, 2006 in Monza, Italy. He will become the first person born between the years of 1981 and 1996 to be recognized as a saint.
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His body is currently on display in an open tomb in Assisi, Italy. He is dressed in blue jeans and black Nike sneakers, which was reportedly one of his favorite outfits to wear.
In 2020, the pope beatified Carlo, which is a process that's a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into heaven and their capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. In order to be canonized as a saint, the person would have had to performed two miracles.
The first miracle Carlo was recognized as performing is when he reportedly healed a young Brazilian boy from annular pancreas, which is a rare congenital disease.
His second noted miracle involved a woman named Liliana from Costa Rica, whose daughter sustained severe head trauma and other injuries after falling from her bicycle in Florence, Italy, on July 2, 2022.
According to the Vatican News, the university student had a low chance of surviving, but Liliana's secretary started praying to Carlo before Liliana went to his tomb on July 8, 2022. Later on in that day, her daughter began to "breathe spontaneously."
On July 18, 2022, a scan showed her hemorrhage had disappeared. She started regaining her speech and she was able to move again the day after Liliana visited Carlo's tomb. By September 2, 2022, the daughter and mother traveled together to the tomb to thank Carlo.
"Bless you the mother of this young man," one person commented on the news. "You also have a hand in how wonderful and special Carlos was. May GOD bless you all the days of your life."
Another person wrote: "God bless Carlo. He’s a wonderful example for young people and very inspiring. May he rest in peace."
