Italian teenager to be canonized as first millennial Catholic saint

Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who designed a website documenting various Eucharistic miracles and led a faithful life before his death at age 15, will be canonized, the Vatican announced on Monday, July 1. 

Acutis was one of 15 people approved for canonization at an Ordinary Consistory of Cardinals on Monday, according to the Vatican News website. 

"It's incredible to hear this news," Alex Jones, CEO and co-founder of the Christian prayer app Hallow, told Fox News Digital in a text message. 

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"Blessed Carlo is an incredible inspiration for us at Hallow," he said. "It can so often feel like the world is going in the wrong direction and that technology is doing more harm than good, but God is still at work." 

God, said Jones, "is still raising saints and He can use everything, including technology, to build up His kingdom." 

Carlo Acutis, seen here prior to his leukemia diagnosis, died at age 15. He was approved for canonization on Monday, July 1; the date of his canonization will be announced later.  (Carlo Acutis Association)

During his life, Acutis was "welcoming and caring toward the poorest, and he helped the homeless, the needy and immigrants with the money he saved from his weekly allowance," said Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints, in a short presentation about Acutis' life. 

Upon his canonization, Acutis will be the first canonized Catholic saint to have been born between the years 1981 and 1996 – leading some to nickname him "God's Influencer." 

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Born on May 3, 1991, in London, Acutis was a devout Catholic who created a website to document Eucharistic miracles, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

He died on Oct. 12, 2006, in Monza, Italy, shortly after a leukemia diagnosis. 

After his death, his website and legacy lived on — and in 2020, a miracle attributed to his intercession was approved and recognized by the Vatican. He was beatified, or given the title "Blessed," in October of that year. 

Pope Francis, left, meets with Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro, right, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints, on Monday, July 1. Semeraro read a brief summary of Acutis' life to his fellow cardinals.  (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

The Vatican's announcement on Monday marked the final approval needed before Acutis can be given the official title of "Saint Carlo Acutis." 

While the Catholic Church acknowledges that all those who are in heaven are saints, a process called "canonization" recognizes those who lived exceptional lives. 

This process normally begins five years after a person's death, though that waiting period can be waived. 

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Once the person has been approved by the Vatican and declared to have lived a holy life, the person is declared "venerable," according to the Vatican's website.

Afterward, the Vatican has to approve of a miracle attributed to the intercession of the potential saint.

Acutis died in 2006. He will be the first millennial to be canonized by the Catholic Church.  (Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

Purported miracles can be submitted for investigation to the Vatican's Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the organization that determines the legitimacy of these claims. 

After one miracle is approved, a person can be "beatified." 

The second approved miracle means the person can be canonized and given the title "saint." 

The Vatican has not yet announced when the canonization will occur. 

This second miracle attributed to Acutis' intercession was formally approved by the Vatican in May 2024. 

The Vatican has not yet announced when the canonization will occur, but the Vatican News reported that it is likely to take place in 2025. 

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"It is very exciting that Carlo Acutis will likely be canonized as a saint during the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year," Courtney Mares, a Vatican-based journalist and the author of "Blessed Carlo Acutis: A Saint in Sneakers," told Fox News Digital via text message. 

"With 35 million people expected to travel to Rome for the Church's 2025 Jubilee, we can expect big crowds for Acutis' canonization ceremony, with many young people and tech geeks of all ages flocking to Rome for the historic event."

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The other 14 people approved for canonization on Monday include 11 men known as the "Martyrs of Damascus," who were killed in 1860.

Others include an Italian priest who founded a religious congregation; an Italian nun who founded a religious order; and a Canadian nun who founded a religious order.