Teenager Carlos Acutis died of leukemia at the age of 15.
But now he may become the first saint of the millennial generation, reports The Guardian.
Catholic Pope Francis announced on Thursday that a second miracle has been attributed to Acutis – qualifying him for canonization.
Teenager Carlos Acutis, born in London in 1991, has also been called “God’s influencer”, as he used his computer and programming skills to help spread the Roman Catholic faith online before he died of leukemia in 2006, The Guardian reports. He also allegedly created a website that documented “miracles”.
His mother speaks up CNN that as a young man he gave away his pocket money to homeless people in Milan, Italy, where the family later moved.
Two miracles
In order to be declared a saint within the Catholic faith, it is required that one has been attributed at least two miracles that must have been approved by the Pope, writes CNN. After the current Pope Francis on Thursday approved that Acutis must have contributed to a second miracle, the teenager is thus one step closer to being canonized.
The first “miracle” attributed to him in 2020 concerns a 7-year-old Brazilian boy, who suffered from a severe disease of the pancreas, but who recovered after coming into contact with one of Acuti’s t-shirts, writes The Guardian. A priest also allegedly asked the teenager to save the boy.
The “miracle” approved by the Pope on Thursday claims that in 2022 the dead teenager also healed a young woman who suffered critical brain damage after an accident and whose mother prayed to Acutis to save her injured daughter.
Saint declaration
After the attribution of two miracles, the next step is now for the Pope to convene a meeting of cardinals to, among other things, determine a date for the canonization.
His mother tells Italian media that she hopes her son will be canonized this year or next.