Computers continued to work, and the world didn’t come to an end. The first camera phones, USB flash drives and Bluetooth were invented and the world headed towards an IT revolution.
Carlo Acutis turned nine that year. Born in London to Italian parents who had since moved back to live in Milan, he was fascinated with the world of computers, and began studying computer science textbooks, teaching himself computer programming and graphic design. He amazed everyone with his extraordinary understanding of complex IT processes and applications, being one of the pioneers in mastering the use of the internet.
Carlo died of a very aggressive leukemia at the age of 15 in 2006. His funeral was packed with many of the city’s poor residents and all the people that Carlo had helped, and as messages flooded social media from across the globe, his family, teachers and friends realized that he was truly a global influencer.
The extraordinary in the ordinary
In many ways Carlo Acutis was a typical teenager. He loved his PlayStation, he had a cellphone and an e-mail address, and had a great passion for making videos of his pets. Yet in one particular way Carlo stands out from his peers: he is the first millennial on his way to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. On 10 October 2020, Pope Francis declared him “blessed” in the town of Assisi which Carlo loved so much, the same city of the 12th century Saint Francis, “the poor man of God”, where Carlo’s family had a second home.
This story is from the January 2021 edition of The Teenager Today.
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This story is from the January 2021 edition of The Teenager Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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