Italian teen to become first millennial Catholic saint on Sunday

4/9/2025 16:59

A British-born Italian boy who died of leukaemia in 2006 will become the first Catholic saint of the millennial generation on Sunday, in a ceremony led by Pope Leo in St. Peter's Square that is expected to attract tens of thousands of worshippers.



Carlo Acutis, who died aged 15, learned computer code to build websites to spread his faith. His story has drawn wide attention from Catholic youth, and he will now be elevated to the same level as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi.



Sunday's ceremony was originally set for April but was postponed after the death of Pope Francis. Leo, elected in May to replace Francis, will now preside at such an event for the first time.



Acutis' mother, Antonia Salzano, told Reuters earlier this year that the heart of her son's appeal to Catholic youth was that he lived the same life as others who were teenagers in the 2000s.



"Carlo was an ordinary child like (others). He used to play, to have friends, and to go to school. But his extraordinary quality was the fact that he opened the door of his heart to Jesus and put Jesus in the first place in his life."