The planned canonisation of Carlo Acutis—the British-Italian teenager poised to become the first millennial saint—has been postponed in the wake of Pope Francis’s death.
Acutis, who died from acute leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was known for his deep faith and remarkable contributions to the Church at a young age. Between 2004 and 2006, he created a website cataloguing over 100 Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Catholic Church, complete with multilingual descriptions, images, maps, and videos. The site went live just days before his passing.
A campaign to have Carlo recognised as a saint began about a decade ago, led by priests and close friends. In 2018, he was declared “Venerable” by the Church in recognition of his virtuous life. His body was later moved to the Santuario della Spogliazione shrine in Assisi.
He was beatified in 2020 after a Brazilian child reportedly recovered from a rare illness after touching one of Carlo’s t-shirts—an event deemed a miracle by the Vatican. In 2023, a second miracle was attributed to him: the full recovery of a Costa Rican student who had suffered major brain trauma in a cycling accident. Her mother had prayed at Carlo’s tomb in Assisi.
With two confirmed miracles, Acutis was set for canonisation on Sunday, April 27. However, the ceremony has been postponed due to the recent death of Pope Francis, who would have presided over the event.
Carlo was born on May 3, 1991, in London to a wealthy Italian family and later moved to Milan. Despite enjoying video games, hiking, and spending time with friends, he was also committed to his faith—teaching catechism, attending daily Mass, and helping the homeless.
His body, preserved and dressed in jeans and a hoodie, is currently on display for public veneration at a church in Assisi, where thousands of pilgrims visit annually.
