Pope Leo XIV on Sunday canonized the first two saints of his pontificate, including a 15-year-old who sought to use technology to spread his faith.
Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, is the first millennial to be canonized as a saint. Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died in 1925 at 24 years old, was also made a saint on Sunday.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday to celebrate the new saints.
“The greatest risk in life is to waste it outside of God’s plan,” Leo said on Sunday.
He said the new saints “are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
Acutis was born to a wealthy family in London before moving to Italy. He was not born into a religious family, but he became increasingly devout as he grew up.
He had a particular knack for computer science and studied college-level programming even as a teen. He launched a multilingual website to document church-recognized Eucharistic miracles. He became known as “God’s Influencer” for achieving such a feat.
Acutis was entombed in Assisi, where millions flocked to see him through glass, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers and a sweatshirt. The Catholic Church hopes the millennial saint can be an inspiration for young people seeking to connect with the faith.
Frassati, the other young Italian saint canonized on Sunday, was born into a prominent Turin family and is known for devoting himself to serving the poor and spreading the faith to his friends.
The Associated Press contributed.
