Carlo Acutis becomes Catholic Church’s first saint of the millennial generation

Father Paul Addison, a friar at Our Lady of Dolours Church in Chelsea, told the BBC that Carlo’s baptism left a mark on the parish. “His family were in finance and they were working really temporarily in London.

Pope Leo XIV leaves after celebrating the canonization Mass of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

Although they didn’t use the church much, they decided to come and ask to have the child baptised. So Carlo was a flash, a very big flash, in the life of the parish community,” he said.

The church now keeps a small shrine to Carlo, including a strand of his hair and framed pages from his website.

Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, told the BBC that her son’s canonisation followed recognition of two miracles linked to him. She said the first happened “the day of the funeral”, when “a woman with breast cancer prayed for Carlo and she had to start chemotherapy and the cancer disappeared completely”.

Pope Francis approved his canonisation earlier this year, but the ceremony was delayed after the pope’s death in April.

Pope Leo XIV leaves after celebrating the canonization Mass of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

Some who had travelled for the earlier ceremony instead attended Pope Francis’s funeral. Among them was Diego Sarkissian, a young Catholic from London.

He told the BBC he felt close to Carlo because of their shared interests. “He used to play Super Mario video games on the old Nintendo consoles and I’ve always loved video games. The fact that you can think of a saint doing the same things as you, wearing jeans, it feels so much closer than what other saints have felt like in the past,” he said.

Carlo’s canonisation was completed on Sunday, with the Vatican hoping his story will inspire younger Catholics.

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