The Vatican has postponed the canonization of Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, who earned the moniker “God’s influencer.” The announcement came after the 88-year-old Pope Francis’ death was confirmed by the Catholic Church on Monday (April 21).
Acutis was born in London and later succumbed to leukemia in Northern Italy in 2006. Despite passing away at just 15, he left a mark with his strong connection to the Catholic faith.
He is also considered one of the very first people to digitally document Eucharistic miracles through a website that he set up all by himself. Following his huge success online, he was dubbed as the ‘God’s influencer.’ During his very short time on earth, he managed to create such an impact that the event didn’t stop with his death. A few of their friends and a group of priests who were touched by his work started a movement for his sainthood after his death. In 2018, Carlo was officially given the title “venerable,” which recognizes their heroic virtue and holiness as the first stage of the canonization process.
Subsequently, his body was also moved to a shrine in Assisi’s Santuario della Spogliazione, encased in wax and clad in jeans, a sweatshirt, and trainers. Since then, believers and Carlo’s followers have visited his preserved tomb many times. In 2020, the 15-year-old was declared to be “blessed” after the Vatican attributed a miracle healing to him.
The miracle attributed to Blessed Carlo Acutis🇻🇦 pic.twitter.com/jwBwhDD3fm
— 🔥☩ 𝓙𝓜𝓣 ☩🔥 (@SecretFire79) April 3, 2025
A seven-year-old boy from Brazil had been suffering from a rare pancreatic disorder. It was said that he was healed in a “scientifically inexplainable” manner after coming in contact with one of the millennial saint’s t-shirts.
Then, another miracle was linked to St. Carlo Acutis. Last year, it was revealed that a Puerto Rican student in Italy experienced a “complete healing” from a major head trauma from an accident. This happened after her mother prayed at Acutis’ tomb.
According to Vatican rules, if two miracles approved by the pope are attributed to a deceased person, they qualify for sainthood. Carlo’s canonization was scheduled for next Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. It was the day to celebrate the jubilee for adolescents, so members of the faithful were looking forward to his sainthood.
However, in light of Pope Francis’ passing, it has been delayed. A new date is yet to be revealed as the Vatican would now get busy with a period of mourning, followed by the pontiff’s funeral and the highly-anticipated papal conclave. When his canonization is finally complete, the ‘God’s influencer’ will be the church’s 913th saint and the first to be born between 1981 and 1996.
With the death of #PopeFrancis, the canonization of Carlo Acutis is postponed, pic.twitter.com/v6tQVCiN65
— Catholic News Service Rome (@CatholicNewsSvc) April 21, 2025
Speaking with Reuters, Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, said, “Carlo was an ordinary child like [others]. He used to play, to have friends, and to go to school. But his extraordinary quality was the fact that he opened the door of his heart to Jesus and put Jesus in the first place in his life.”
She revealed that when he was only five, he saw his grandfather, who asked him for prayers. Following that incident, he began praying a lot for deceased people. ”
“We lived in the center of Milan, a town full of beggars, and he would stop and say, “I have everything, a bed and meals, and these people are suffering with nothing,” said Salzano.
