British teenager dubbed ‘God’s influencer’ to be made first millennial saint

A British teen nicknamed “God’s influencer” will be canonised by the Catholic Church in April as the first ever millenial saint.

Carlo Acutis, who was born in London, died in 2006 of leukaemia at the young age of 15.

He spent most of his childhood in Monza, Italy, where he was active in the religious community.

He has been labelled the “patron saint of the internet” for his work running Catholic websites and recording miracles online.

He helped design websites for his parish and school but he gained public attention for launching a website seeking to document every reported Eucharistic miracle.

The website was launched just before his death and ever since it has been translated into several different languages and used in an exhibition that travelled the world.

It was Acutis’s dying wish to be buried in the town of Assissi, and his body now lies in the Sanctuary of the Spoliation and was venerated at its final resting place.

His final words to his mother were: “Mum, don’t be afraid. Since Jesus became a man, death has become the passage towards life, and we don’t need to flee it. Let us prepare ourselves to experience something extraordinary in the eternal life.”

He was previously beatified (attributed his first miracle) by Pope Francis in 2020, which was the healing of a Brazilian child with a congenital disease.

In 2024, a second miracle attributed to Acutis’s intercession.

This came when a university student in Florence was healed despite suffering head trauma and bleeding in the brain.

After this, the pope granted approval to proceed with canonising the boy.

Miracles are usually assessed and investigated over a few months, and a person is eligible for sainthood after they have two to their name.

Pope Francis revealed to an audience at the Vatican that Acutis will be canonised on April 27, 2025.

He will join the list of teenagers canonised including St. Joan Of Arc, St. Dominic Savio, and St Stanislaus Kostka.