Vatican approves canonization of millennial Carlo Acutis
15-year-old Carlo Acutis is on track to be the first millennial saint.
In a ceremony called an Ordinary Public Consistory on July 1, Pope Francis and the cardinals in Rome gave the green light for the canonization of Acutis and 14 others.
There's no specific date yet set for the canonization, but Vatican News says it will likely be in 2025 during the church's jubilee year. The ceremony is expected to take place in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
In May, Pope Francis paved the way for Acutis' sainthood as a second miracle was attributed to him.
Born on May 3, 1991, Acutis died in 2006 of leukemia in Italy. He was dubbed the "patron saint of the internet" and "God's Influencer" for creating a website documenting Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions. The English-born Italian also reportedly defended schoolmates from bullies and used his money to help the poor.
Acutis was venerated, the first title conferred in the three steps to sainthood, in 2018 and was beatified in 2020 after one miracle was attributed to him.
Aside from creating a website, the late teenager was also remembered by friends and family for being a gamer who played Pokémon, Super Mario, and Halo.
In addition to Acutis, 11 people who were killed in the Syrian Civil War in 1860, two Italians, and Canadian Sr. Marie-Lėonie Paradis have also been approved for canonization.