Italian teen is first millennial saint

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the Vatican on Sunday for the canonization of an Italian teenager dubbed “God’s Influencer” for his efforts to spread the Catholic faith online.

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Pope Leo XIV on Sunday officially proclaimed Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, the Church’s first millennial saint, to applause from the crowds in St Peter’s Square.

Pilgrims stretched across the square in front of St Peter’s Basilica, many of them young people holding up flags from different countries or images of the so-called “cyber-apostle”.

“Carlo Acutis is an example for me because he was able to combine his everyday life -- school, football and his passion for IT and computers -- with an unshakeable faith,” said Filippo Bellaviti, 17.

He said the atmosphere on Sunday was “beautiful”, telling AFP: “Seeing people from so many parts of the world, you can see the affection for Carlo for what he’s done.”

Around 800 people had arrived on a special train from Assisi, where Acutis’ body, dressed in jeans and a pair of Nike trainers, lies in a glass-walled tomb.