Who was Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint-to-be?
- Known as ‘God’s influencer’ before his tragic death from leukaemia at just 15, Acutis will be canonised as a saint in 2025
Acutis devoted his short life to sharing the teachings of the Catholic Church, spent his time with the poor, and gave his own pocket money and food from his house to those in need. Today, his legacy lives on: 18 years after his death, Acutis will soon be officially declared a saint.
Here is how this gamer from Milan became “God’s influencer”.
Who was Carlo Acutis?
Acutis was born in London, England in 1991, where his father worked at the time, according to the Catholic News Agency. When he was just a few months old, he moved with his parents, Andrea and Antonia, to Milan, Italy. According to CNN, his interests included video games, Spider-Man, Pokémon, playing the saxophone, and making short films of his dogs.
Carlo Acutis and his Catholic faith
According to Vatican News, Acutis built a website that detailed supposed Eucharistic miracles as described by the Catholic Church when he was just 11 years old. The church describes the Eucharist, also known as the Holy Communion, as an “action of thanksgiving to God”.
On top of that, the Catholic News Agency reports that Acutis had taught himself how to code, using his computer skills to create a website and spread Catholic teachings. According to Vatican News, his fascination with the Eucharist motivated his mother to enrol in a theology course so she could answer his questions.
How Carlo Acutis became ‘God’s influencer’
