A 15-year-old boy, set to become the first millennial saint, has been given the fitting title 'God's influencer' as the Catholic Church prepares to canonize him as a saint.
Carlo Acutis was born in London to Italian parents before growing up in Milan, where he became a devout member of the Catholic Church.
He became extremely religiously devout from a young age, and frequently spent time and effort helping the less fortunate in society before dying of leukaemia in 2006 at the age of just 15.
Since then, his body has been preserved and displayed in a glass tomb in Assisi, the birthplace of the famous monk St Francis, whose teachings stress helping the needy and living a simple life without excess.
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His reputation has led to the Church's intent to have Acutis canonized, made a saint, and he has been given the moniker 'God's Influencer'.
Acutis is set to become the first saint whose hagiography, an account of a saint's life, was first published on social media - a long way from the sometimes months-long exchanges of letters and travels of the early saints - as he'd often share his experiences with miracles and saints on his online blog at 11 years old.
His mother, Antonia Salzano, said her son would 'go to mass and do the rosary each day', adding: "We lived in the centre of Milan in a building surrounded by beggars. He wanted to help them, speak to them, bring them food and blankets."
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Acutis' upcoming canonization by Pope Leo on Sunday (September 7) has been hailed as a signal of the Vatican's willingness to stay current.
Andrea Vreede, Vatican correspondent for Dutch public radio and TV network NOS, said: “The church wants to have a young saint who is a millennial, somebody who belongs to the modern age.”
Several miracles have been attributed to Acutis, a part of the criteria for someone being considered for canonization.
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The first miracle attributed to Acutis was on a two-year-old Brazilian boy called Matheus Vianna, who was diagnosed with a congenital disorder called annular pancreas.
In this condition, pancreatic tissue forms a ring around the first part of the small intestine.
Salzona asked the Church for help for Vianna, and was aided by Father Marcelo Tenorio, who had been blessing Acutis' body as part of the ritual for pre-canonization.
Father Tenorio touched a piece of Acutis' clothing to Vianna and asked for him to be healed.
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After this ceremony, the toddler's family said that he was not sick again.
Another miracle was that of Valeria Valverde, a Costa Rican woman who'd suffered a head injury while cycling in Florence, which left her in critical condition.
Her mother visited Acutis' body in Assisi, which led to her full recovery.
Topics: Catholic Church, Social Media
Kit Roberts