Carlos Acutis, a millennial dubbed “God’s influencer,” has been raised to Saint status
Dakota Lile, Reporter
September 8th, 2025
Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, met an untimely death at age 16 due to complications with leukemia. He lived life as a normal adolescent in today’s digital age: playing video games in his free time. Acutis put his computer skills to use by creating a website to shed light on the Catholic faith. Acutis contradicts the traditional idea of a Catholic saint's garments by opting to wear jeans and a t-shirt during life, reflecting his youthful spirit and young age when he passed.
Several years after Carlos passed from leukemia in 2020, he was beatified by the Catholic Church after the recognition of a miracle presented in Brazil that led to his intercession. Furthermore, a second miracle was later confirmed during 2024 in Italy, which was overall ruled to be his doing. As a result, Carlos Acutis was canonized on September 7, 2025, and was nicknamed “The First Millennial Saint,” which caught the attention of this generation and gave him the recognition he deserved.
Initially, the process of becoming a saint was a complex and intricate sequence of events. On October 12, 2012, the 6th anniversary of Carlos’s death, his cause of canonisation was announced and later ruled to have no inconsistencies to be discontinued, so the events moved forward. The process continued until November 14, 2019, when the Cause of Saints expressed the effective impact the miracle in Brazil attributed to Acutis' intercession and all the following events that were believed to cure the unwell and have a crucial characteristic in becoming a saint. As a result, Pope Francis confirmed the credibility of the occurring miracles in a decree on February 21, 2020, which led to Carlo Acutis’s beatification as a future saint.
Many people opposed the idea of Carlo Acutis becoming the first millennial saint and often state his past actions were not of significant importance. John Phipps, the economist, stated that even people with a deep love and loyalty to Acutis struggled to pinpoint his specific actions that resulted in his canonisation. This led to several opinions from his childhood best friend and classmates being displayed, who opposed this ideal and remained biased in the future.
Ultimately, this monumental decision to canonize Carlo Acutis to the status of a saint for his unique contributions, spreading faith, and his devotion to the Eucharist has altered history. Acutis is a significant example to future generations on how one's life actions will continue and have a lasting impact.
