A London-born teenager who died of cancer is set to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint after he has had two miracles attributed to him by Pope Francis.
Carlo Acutis, an Italian boy who was born in the British capital, died of Leukemia in 2006. He has since been given the nickname “God’s influencer” because of his devotion to promoting the work of Christ online before he died.
His mother said that Acutis, whose body is on display in Assisi, was devout from an early age. He is understood to have told his parents: “I’m happy to die because I’ve lived my life without wasting even a minute of it doing things that wouldn’t have pleased God.”
She said that people from across the world have told her about medical phenomena that have occurred after praying to her son, who has been become a role model for modern Christian youth.
A London-born teenager who died of cancer is set to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint
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Pope Francis has now decreed that Acutis qualifies for canonisation, after the mother of a 21-year-old Costa Rican woman who had been involved in a serious accident prayed to his casket and left a note asking for her daughter to be cured in 2022.
The young woman, who was studying in Florence, required craniotomy surgery but doctors warned that survival rates were low.
However, the very same day as her mother prayed, her daughter began breathing again, and just 10 days later, she was discharged from hospital.
It is the second miracle accredited to the boy, who moved to Milan from London when he was three years old.
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Two miracles have been accredited to the teenager, who has been described as a devout catholic
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The first was back in 2013 when a Brazilian boy who was suffering from a rare pancreatic disease was cured after touching Acutis’ relic.
For this, he was beatified - the first step towards becoming a saint - in 2020.
Following the second miracle, Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi told The Times: “The Church in Assisi is in celebration. I plan to arrive in Assisi this evening to thank the Lord in a Eucharistic celebration. But as of now I join the faithful who are in the shrine for a prayer of praise.”
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that whilst only God can perform miracles, saints in heaven with God intercede on behalf of the people who pray to them.
He has been given the nickname 'God’s influencer' because of his devotion to promoting the work of Christ online before he died
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When a person prays to God and asks them to cure them of an injury or illness, if they manage to recover, the Vatican will class it as a miracle.
Two miracles attributed to a single person can qualify them for sainthood.
Acutis, a computer genius, taught himself to code whilst still at primary school, and went on to use his skills to create websites for Catholic organisations.
His parents said that he would also offer guidance and support to fellow classmates who were going through hard times, stand up for disabled peers who were getting bullied, and make meals and deliver sleeping bags to the homeless.
