A miracle was attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis, an Italian layman born in 1991 and died in 2006 from leukemia, announced a decree promulgated by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on May 23, 2024. Passionate about In computer science, he was nicknamed the “geek of God”. The day of his canonization should be announced at a future consistory. The Church also opens the door to the canonization of the Italian priest Giuseppe Allamano (1851-1926) and to three beatifications. It recognizes as venerable an Italian priest and two lay people – Spanish and Italian.
In 2020, Rome recognized a first miracle obtained thanks to the intercession of Carlo Acutis. He then became blessed. To become a saint, the Church had to recognize a second miracle. This is done with the decree published on May 23 with the agreement of Pope Francis. In Rome, the dicastery for the Causes of Saints studied a healing deemed miraculous of a young Costa Rican born in 2001 and who came to study in Florence in 2018. July 2, 2022, says the dicastery, around 4 a.m. , the teenager fell while cycling in a street in Florence, causing “very serious head trauma”.
Healing of Florence
Taken to hospital, the young woman underwent a first emergency operation. “The situation immediately appeared very critical and family members were warned that the young girl could die at any moment,” he explained. On the very day of the accident, Valeria’s mother began to pray to Blessed Carlo Acutis asking to intercede for the healing of her daughter. On July 8, she also went on a pilgrimage to Assisi to pray at the tomb of the blessed whose body is displayed behind glass. “The same day, Valeria resumed spontaneous breathing and the following day, the doctors noted the recovery of motor skills in her upper limbs and the partial recovery of speech.” On July 18, the patient was discharged from the intensive care unit to another department. On August 11, she began undergoing reduction therapy which “contrary to medical predictions, lasted only a week after a rapid and effective recovery.” Cured, the young woman went with her mother on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Carlo Acutis in Assisi, “as a sign of thanksgiving”.
Affectionately nicknamed “the patron saint of geeks”, Carlo Acutis is probably the first young person of the 21st century cited in an apostolic exhortation (Christus Vivit, of Pope Francis, editor’s note). He was born on May 3, 1991 in London, before moving with his family to Milan. As a child, Carlo Acutis very quickly felt the need to place his happiness in God alone. When he was only 5 years old, he was surprised by his babysitter folding his hands to consecrate himself to the Virgin Mary. Two years later, on June 16, 1998, he made his first communion and then made the decision to go to mass every day. He is passionate about the Eucharist. “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven,” he said. He does not hesitate to testify to his relationship with God through very impactful sentences. His fierce fidelity to Mass, Eucharistic adoration and daily recitation of the rosary became his only reason for living.
Carlo the “cyber-apostle”
But that doesn’t stop him from having a normal existence, like any young person his age. Sailing, football, drawing, travel… He takes part in many activities! But it is above all at the controls of a computer that he excels. He applied himself very early on to use this talent in the service of Christ and the Church, multiplying the lines of code to help his parish, his college or his prayer group. In 2002, this cyber-apostle decided to organize a digital exhibition on Eucharistic miracles around the world. Smiling and close to people, Carlo is no less attentive to the weakest. Seeking to go beyond the boundaries of his social environment, he converses with the poor, brings them sleeping bags and meals… He also maintains deep friendships with people of other religions. Rajesh, a Hindu employed by his parents, even ended up converting to Christianity thanks to the teenager.
In October 2006, he suddenly fell ill. What we thought was a bad flu is in reality a devastating leukemia that cannot be treated. He decides to offer all his sufferings to the Pope and for the Church. He died on October 12, at the age of 15. Before he died, he predicted to his mother, Antonia Salzano, that he would give her many signs and that she would be a mother again. In 2010, she gave birth to twins, Michele and Francesca.
The whole body
The opening of the canonization process of Carlo Acutis began in 2013 in Milan. Pope Francis recognized the “heroic” nature of his virtues on July 5, 2018. On June 23, 2018, his body was exhumed. He was found “integral”, that is to say with all his organs. As for his heart, which can now be considered a relic, it is located in the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, near the saint he admired. In November 2019, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints recognized the validity of a miracle due to the intercession of the young Italian. A few days before his beatification, his remains were exposed to the veneration of the faithful. The beatification of Carlo Acutis brought together some 3,000 people in Assisi and millions behind their screens on October 10, 2020.
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