Nearly twenty years after his death, the teenager known as “God’s Influencer” has officially been canonized by the Catholic Church.

Carlos Acutis, who loved video games and spread the gospel online, has now been declared a saint. Acutis died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, but devoted his brief life to sharing the Catholic faith and helping the poor. The canonization ceremony took place in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, led by Pope Leo XIII. His path to sainthood was remarkably fast: the campaign began just six years after his death in 2012, he was declared venerable in 2018, beatified in 2020, and has now been canonized.

Born in London, Acutis was still a baby when his Italian parents returned to their homeland, and he spent the rest of his life in Milan. His family recalls that he loved franchises like Halo, Mario, and Pokémon. At eight years old, he received his first PlayStation, but as a devoted servant of the Lord, he limited his playtime to one hour per day. From the age of nine, Acutis began helping the homeless, insisted on owning only one pair of shoes, and donated his savings to aid the poor.

Two miracles are required for canonization. Acutis was beatified in 2020 after a Brazilian boy suffering from a pancreatic disease was cured when his mother prayed to him. The second miracle involved a Costa Rican girl who suffered a serious head injury in a bicycle accident in Florence; after her mother prayed at Acutis’s tomb in Assisi, the girl made a full recovery. Acutis also created a popular website documenting miracles to spread the Catholic message. Some observers suggest that his canonization was accelerated because he appeals to young people and is linked to technology and gaming.

“He used to play Super Mario on old Nintendo consoles, and I’ve always loved video games. The fact that you can picture a saint doing the same things as you, wearing jeans, makes him feel so much closer than other saints of the past,” Diego Sarkissian told the BBC. “As I did, you too can become holy.” His mother, Antonia Salzano, told CNN last year: “With all the media and technology, it sometimes seems that holiness is a thing of the past. But holiness still exists in the modern age.”

Acutis’s tomb in Assisi, where his body is preserved in wax, has become a site of pilgrimage. Following his canonization, the Catholic Church will honor him with an annual feast day, and parishes and schools may be named after him.

Source: PCGamer, Miracoli Eucaristici, BBC