The Vatican canonized 15-year-old Carlo Acutis, who is considered “God’s influencer”

Carlo Acutis was canonized at the Vatican on Sunday, September 7. The teenager, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, used his computer skills to promote the Catholic faith. He created a website where he collected information about miracles.

Carlo has earned the nickname “God’s influencer” for his innovative approach to evangelization. He is often pictured wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers, a look that breaks away from the traditional image of a saint, making him a favorite among young people around the world.

Carlo was born in London to a wealthy family. His father, Andrea Acutis, worked in banking and later headed an Italian insurance company. The family eventually moved to Milan.

The mother recalls that her son led an ordinary life; he was fond of sports, joked, and made funny videos in the style of “Star Wars,” featuring cats and dogs, and voicing the animals himself.

Little Acutis’s faith was manifested from an early age. Despite his non-religious upbringing, he spent his pocket money helping homeless women, stood up for his classmates, and supported children from single-parent families.

Twelve years after his death, Carlo’s body was exhumed, placed in a wax sarcophagus that recreates his appearance, and exhibited in a glass coffin in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi. Part of his heart became a relic and travels the world, exhibited in churches.

The process of canonization of Carlo took place very quickly. Usually, it takes a century and requires confirmation of at least two miracles. In Carlo’s case, miracles have been recognized as:

The healing of a Brazilian boy with a congenital disability after his mother’s prayers;

The recovery of a Costa Rican girl from a serious head injury when her mother prayed at Carlo’s tomb in Assisi.

Carlo Acutis has become a symbol of a new era of holiness—he speaks the language of his generation.