Pope to make late Italian millennial Carlo Acutis a saint in April


  • World
  • Wednesday, 20 Nov 2024

FILE PHOTO: A girl visits the tomb of Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 aged 15, in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Assisi, Italy, May 26, 2024. Pope Francis has cleared the way for Acutis to be the first saint of the millennial generation. REUTERS/Matteo Berlenga/File Photo

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - An Italian teenager who used his computer skills to spread the Catholic faith will become the first saint from the millennial generation when he is canonized next April.

Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, was dubbed "God's influencer". Born in London, he grew up in Milan where he took care of the websites for his parish and a Vatican-based academy.

Pope Francis told his weekly general audience at the Vatican on Wednesday that Acutis will be made a saint during the weekend of April 25 to 27.

That weekend, the Vatican is celebrating a Jubilee for Adolescents as part of the Catholic holy year in Rome, which opens at the end of December. The Vatican did not give an exact date for the canonization ceremony.

The pope also said on Wednesday he would canonize Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young Italian man who was known for helping those in need and died of polio in the 1920s, during the weekend of July 28-Aug. 3.

Francis also announced the Vatican would host a meeting on the rights of children on Feb. 3, which he said would include experts from various countries.

(Reporting by Joshua McElwee, editing by Gavin Jones and Angus MacSwan)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In World

Pakistan train hijack hostages end ordeal with arrival in Quetta
Duterte takes responsibility for Philippines drug war, anticipates long ICC battle
US Justice Department investigating New York migrant hotels, reports say
South Korea charges air force pilots with criminal negligence in accidental bombing of village
At US request, India arrests crypto administrator accused of money laundering
Russia lays out demands for talks with US on Ukraine, sources say
NASA, SpaceX delay flight that was to retrieve stuck astronauts
Int'l amber, jewelry fair showcases Baltic amber
Mark Carney to be sworn in as Canada's prime minister on Friday
U.S. stocks close mixed as weak CPI growth eases concerns

Others Also Read