Vatican issues update on sainthood of Brit teen dubbed ‘God’s influencer’ following death of Pope Francis
THE Vatican has issued a major update on the sainthood of a British teen dubbed “God’s Influencer” following the tragic death of Pope Francis.
Carlo Acutis, who died from leukaemia in 2006, was set to be canonised and become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint in April.
In 2024, Pope Francis granted approval for Carlo’s canonisation as the first ever millennial saint after a second miracle attributed to Carlo was approved by the Vatican.
He was set to be given a catholic sainthood on April 27, 2025, by Francis.
The complicated canonisation process involves a candidate being named a servant of God, their life being proved as a heroic virtue, the candidate being beatified and then finally being canonised as a Saint.
However, the Vatican said it has postponed the sainthood of Carlos, whose body has been perfectly preserved after he died as a teenager, following the tragic death of Pope Francis.
The Vatican said in a statement: ” Following the death of the Sovereign Pontiff Francis, we inform you that the Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Canonisation of Blessed Carlo Acutis… has been postponed.”
When a pope dies, several church functions come to a pause until a new pope is elected.
This means that final approvals, such as the signing off on a miracle or setting a canonisation date, are generally pushed back.
Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic church, died just hours after he appeared in front of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.
The crowd shouted and cheered as a frail-looking Francis looped through the square in his open-topped popemobile and then up and down the main avenue leading to it.
He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him, just weeks after fighting for his life.
“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Francis said.
The pontiff had been hospitalised for weeks at the Gemelli hospital in Rome earlier this year after suffering a bout of bronchitis and double pneumonia.
He was discharged on March 23 after the 38-day stay, and was able to bless crowds of worshippers on Easter Sunday.
But just hours later, Vatican officials announced the leader of the Catholic Church had passed away.
Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, said in a statement: “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father.
“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church.”
Despite battling pneumonia for years, it is believed that the Pope may have died from a cerebral haemorrhage, caused possibly by a stroke, according to unverified reports shared by the local news outlets.
Pope Francis’ death has plunged 1.4billion Catholics across the globe into mourning.
‘GOD’S INFLUENCER’
Italian boy Carlos, who was born in London, was credited with many miracles, including healing a six-year-old boy who inexplicably recovered from a rare pancreatic condition after touching a relic of Acutis.
He lived an all-too-short life of devout religious work and also created a website to document every reported Eucharistic miracle.
The boy also regularly provided care and support to the homeless in his native Milan.
The Brit-born teen requested to be buried in Assisi before his death, having become an admirer of St. Francis of Assisi because of his dedication to the poor.
His body lies encased in a wax layer which is moulded to look like his body before his burial.
The teenage saint-to-be is clad in a tracksuit and sneakers and has been on display for veneration in the sanctuary for more than five years.
The 'chosen' one
“Millennial saint” Carlo Acutis was born in London in 1991 before he moved to Milan with his Italian parents.
According to his parents, the Catholic boy would always ask to visit churches he passed in Milan from the age of three.
His mother Antonia Salzano said he would frequently donate his pocket money to poor people and take meals and sleeping bags to rough sleepers.
She added he would offer to support classmates whose parents were going through divorces.
The tech wiz kid was also a web designer who enjoyed video games.
He designed sites for his parish and school, but famously launched a website seeking to document every reported Eucharistic miracle which has been translated into several languages.
The teenager died in October 2006, and during his burial in 2019, the church was reportedly so full that people were lining up outside to get in.
He was attributed to two miracles which were recognised by the Vatican and allowed him to be beatified as a saint.
The first involved him healing a six-year-old Brazilian boy who was suffering from a rare pancreatic disorder.
The boy was cured after touching one of Carlo’s T-shirts.
The second saw a Costa Rican woman miraculously recovering from a severe bicycle accident injury after her mum made a pilgrimage to Carlo’s tomb.
His heart is also on display in a reliquary in the nearby St. Francis Basilica
After being laid to rest in 2019, his holy legacy lived on – and in 2020, the miracle in which he healed a six-year-old boy attributed to his intervention was recognised by the Vatican.
In October that year, he was given the title “Blessed”, which means to be beatified.
This came after a second miracle attributed to Carlo was aprooved by the Vatican.
This miracle saw the teen’s spirit responsible for saving the life of a young Costa Rican woman who suffered severe head trauma after falling from her bicycle in Florence in 2022.
The woman required intense surgery, but after her desperate mother made the pilgrimage to Carlo’s tomb, her daughter suddenly started moving and regaining speech just days later.
CAT scans on the recovering woman, named Valeria Valverde, then showed that her haemorrhage had disappeared.
The mother and daughter then both made the pilgrimage to Assisi one month later after making a speedy recovery.
Carlo will soon become the first canonised Catholic saint born between 1981 and 1996, which has led to some calling him “God’s influencer.”