Pope to make ‘millennial saint’ out of 15-year-old referred to as ‘God’s influencer’

The Pope is on the verge of declaring a 15-year-old, known as ‘God’s influencer’, as the first saint born in this millennium.

Carlo Acutis, who tragically passed away from leukaemia in 2006, was granted a ‘second miracle’ by Pope Francis on Thursday, after the Catholic Church recognised his lifelong efforts to draw attention to God’s teachings. Born in London, Carlo spent most of his life in Italy, where he created a website to catalogue miracles across the world.

He was notably revered in the religious community for his words of inspiration, encouraging believers to focus on Jesus and God while reportedly never missing a daily Mass in his lifetime.

While the young lad was beatified in 2020 – the stage just before sainthood – Francis accelerated this process in a recent meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the Vatican’s chief of saint-making. In this meeting, a recent unexplainable miracle was credited to Carlos’ heroism, paving the way for his eventual sainthood.

As per the Vatican, this miracle involved a woman from Costa Rica who prayed at Carlo’s tomb in Assisi, Italy, after her daughter had a severe accident on July 2, 2022. The child, only referred to as Valeria, had sustained serious head trauma after falling off her bike in Florence, where she was studying at university.

Valeria faced a grim prognosis, needing a high-risk surgery on her skull and the removal of a bone to alleviate brain pressure. But her mother, Liliana, claimed it was unlikely she would survive.

Amid this, Liliana’s secretary also began praying to Carlo and made her own way to his tomb for worship. The Vatican News statement then explained: “That same day, the hospital informed [Liliana] that Valeria had begun to breath spontaneously. The next day, she began to move and partially regain her speech.”

In less than a month, Valeria’s haemorrhage has reportedly vanished, and by August 11, she started rehabilitation. “She made quick progress, and on September 2, Valeria and Liliana made another pilgrimage to Assisi to thank Blessed Carlo for his intercession,” the statement continued.

The Roman Catholic Church sees a miracle as an extraordinary event caused by divine intervention. Saints are believed to intercede with God in heaven when invoked.

Thus, Valeria’s miraculous recovery was credited to Carlo, edging him closer to sainthood. The timing for his canonization remains uncertain.

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