Saint from the Internet: for what merits was the Italian teenager Carlo Acutis canonized?

It seems there is no more conservative organization in the world than the Catholic Church. But, as it turned out, modern trends are not alien to her either. In 2024, Pope Francis approved the canonization of 15-year-old Carlo Acutis. He became the first saint of this millennium and, perhaps, will be considered the heavenly patron of the Internet. Why was Carlo given such an honor after his death?

Carlo Acutis has been called "God's agent of influence", "cyber apostle of the Eucharist", "cyber apostle of the Eucharist", "saint of the network". They even want to make him the patron saint of the Internet. Acutis was popularizing Christianity online, which forced the church to pay attention to him. In addition, two cases of miraculous healing associated with the late young man have been confirmed.

He was born on May 3, 1991 into a wealthy Italian family living in London. The boy's parents worked in the UK, but soon after his birth they moved to Milan. From early childhood, Carlo was very pious, striving to help everyone around him and especially those in need.

Carlo Acutis died in 2006 from leukemia. The disease developed rapidly and the teenager left this world just 72 hours after doctors diagnosed the disease. Before his death, Carlo told his parents:

During his short life, Carlo accomplished a lot. He worked in a soup kitchen, created several websites for his church parish, and also developed a portal describing all the Eucharistic miracles. In the press, the boy was called the Influencer of God for his activities. But these deeds are certainly not enough to become a saint after death. Miracle healings played a key role in the canonization of Acutis.

The first case where prayer to Acutis helped a person recover was recorded in Brazil in 2020. There, an appeal to the God Influencer cured a child’s congenital pancreatic disease. The Vatican takes such statements seriously and immediately sent a commission overseas. She confirmed the miraculous healing.

The second case occurred in Costa Rica. There, a 21-year-old girl recovered from the serious consequences of a bicycle accident. It turned out that prayers to Carlo Acutis also helped her. In this case, the mother of the patient, who was in serious condition with a head injury, prayed at the grave of the teenager. On the same day, the girl was disconnected from the ventilator, and after 10 days she walked and spoke like a completely healthy person.

Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, also spoke about amazing things. In an interview with Corrierre della Sera, she said that shortly before her death, her son predicted that she would give birth again.

These episodes were enough to raise the question of canonizing the teenager. This process is not quick, but the main thing is that the Pope already has a decision. Most likely, Carlo Acutis will become the first Catholic saint of the 21st century and 3rd millennium in 2025.

The canonization of Carlo Acutis is officially underway. But the church had many questions regarding the cult of “Saint Slavik” from the Russian city of Chebarkul.