Pilgrims flock to tomb of Carlo, set to be first millennial saint

Assisi has long been a place of pilgrimage, but these days the faithful come not for Saint Francis, but for a tech-savvy teen, soon to become the first millennial saint.

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Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, will be canonised in a mass at the Vatican on April 27.

Dubbed “God's Influencer” or the “Cyber Apostle”, he spent much of his short life spreading the Catholic faith online. In death, he is drawing a new generation of pilgrims to his resting place.

Holiness in a red polo shirt

The medieval hilltop town of Assisi is famous as the 12th century birthplace of Saint Francis, who founded the religious order of the Franciscans.

But among the stone streets and bell towers, the image of a smiling boy in a red polo shirt has joined the portraits of Francis in his sackcloth robe.