Carlo Acutis, ‘God’s influencer’, declared first millennial saint by Pope Leo at canonisation mass

7 Sep 2025 • 10:12 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

image is not available

Carlo Acutis, a London-born computer prodigy who died in 2006, has become the first millennial Catholic saint.

In a ceremony at St Peter’s Square hosted by Pope Leo XIV on Sunday (7 September), Acutis, who has been dubbed “God’s influencer”, was canonised in front of a sea of crowds, including his family.

Acutis, who died aged 15 from leukaemia, set up a website to document reports of miracles and other elements of the Catholic faith online.

He was canonised alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati, another young Catholic activist, who died a century ago. Both men created “masterpieces” out of their lives by devoting themselves to God, Pope Leo said.