Who is Carlo Acutis? Italian millennial set to be elevated to sainthood on September 7

Italian millennial Carlo Acutis, dubbed the “Cyber Apostle”, is set to be elevated to sainthood on Sunday, September 7, 2025.

The canonisation ceremony was initially scheduled for April 27 but was delayed due to the death of Pope Francis in April, the Vatican confirmed in a recent statement.

Pope Leo XIV rescheduled the event to take place on September 7.

Acutis spent much of his short life spreading the faith online.

The teenager was known for his deep faith from a young age and his use of computer skills to promote Catholicism online.

Notably, he created a digital exhibition documenting "Eucharistic miracles" worldwide, blending technology with his religious devotion.

In death, he is drawing a new generation of pilgrims to his resting place.

Born in London on May 3, 1991 to Italian parents, Acutis primarily grew up in Milan, Italy.

He spent holidays at the family’s second home in Assisi and passed away in Monza, northern Italy.

Despite his wealthy, non-religiously observant family background, Carlo demonstrated ardent faith, attending Mass daily.

He was also compassionate, known for helping bullied children and providing food and sleeping bags to homeless people.

The Vatican has recognised two miracles attributed to Carlo since his death, a crucial step for sainthood.

The first miracle involved the healing of a Brazilian child with a rare pancreatic malformation, and the second was the recovery of a Costa Rican student who was seriously injured in an accident.

In both cases, prayers were directed to Carlo, who was beatified by Pope Francis in 2020.

His mother, Antonia Salzano Acutis, remembered a well-behaved and generous boy who “gave away all his toys, always with a smile”.

“I felt he was a special, extraordinary boy,” she told AFP in the garden of the foundation dedicated to her son located on the hills above Assisi.

At nine years old, he was helping homeless people on the streets, bringing them food, she recalled.

“He said, ‘I have everything, these people have nothing, is that fair?’”

The teenager had a gift for computers and spread the teachings of Jesus Christ online, notably creating a digital exhibition on miracles.

“We live in a complex society where technology sometimes seems to absorb everything,” Salzano Acutis said.

“Why is Carlo a sign of hope? Because he passed through all these things unscathed, he showed that we must be masters of these things, and above all he used them for good.”

The canonisation will take place in Rome, and over 800 people will travel on a special train from Assisi to attend the ceremony.

Alongside Acutis, Pier Giorgio Frassati, another Italian student and devout Catholic who died in 1925, will also be declared a saint.

Frassati was known for his social and spiritual commitments and served as a model of charity.

This ceremony will be Pope Leo XIV’s first canonisation since his election in May and occurs during the Jubilee, a Catholic “Holy Year” that has seen over 24 million visitors to Rome.

Later in October, the pope will canonise seven others, including Papua New Guinea’s first saint, Pierre To Rot, according to the Catholic News Agency.

(With inputs from AFP)