The Catholic Church has a new saint for the digital age.
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday canonised Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old Italian computer prodigy who used his technical skills to spread the faith before his death in 2006, declaring him the Church’s first millennial saint.
An estimated 80,000 pilgrims filled St Peter’s Square for the open-air Mass, where Pope Leo also canonised Pier Giorgio Frassati, another young Italian known for his charity work in the early 20th century. The Pope praised both figures as “masterpieces” of Christian life, calling on young Catholics to model their lives on faith and service rather than distraction.
“The greatest risk in life is to waste it outside of God’s plan,” the pontiff said in his homily.
Acutis was born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan. While his childhood was marked by video games and computers, he grew deeply devoted to the Eucharist. He taught himself programming and created a multilingual website documenting Eucharistic miracles, earning the nickname “God’s influencer.” Unlike many of his peers, he restricted himself to just one hour of gaming each week, preferring prayer and human relationships.
Diagnosed with acute leukemia at 15, he died within days in October 2006. He was laid to rest in Assisi, the home of St Francis, dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt and Nike trainers. Since then, millions of pilgrims have visited his tomb, where his body lies in a glass casket, appearing almost lifelike.
His canonisation reflects the Vatican’s efforts to present a “saint next door” who resonates with young Catholics navigating a tech-driven world. “He becomes a model of how Catholics should approach and use the digital world, with discipline and a focus on spirituality,” said Matthew Schmalz, professor of religious studies at Holy Cross College in the United States.
For many of the young pilgrims in Rome, Acutis’s sainthood felt personal. “It is important to have him as an influencer, even on social networks,” said Leopoldo Antimi, a 27-year-old Roman.
The Mass, celebrated by 36 cardinals, 270 bishops and hundreds of priests, was the first canonisation of Pope Leo’s pontificate and a defining moment in his early leadership.
Acutis now joins the ranks of saints as a patron for the digital age, embodying both simplicity and devotion. For the Church, his life represents a message to young believers that technology can be used not for distraction but for service, prayer and connection with God.
