A video-gaming Italian teenager will become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint after his cause for canonization was approved by church authorities.

Carlo Acutis, who died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was renowned for using his computing skills to spread awareness of the Catholic faith and earned the nickname “God’s influencer.”

Being recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church can take decades, but the cause of Acutis has moved swiftly, with the teenager developing a devoted following across the world.

Often depicted wearing jeans and trainers, his story is seen as helpful for the Catholic Church as it seeks to better connect with the younger generation in a digital age, and he’s become popular with Catholic youth groups.

The church’s sainthood process normally requires that candidates have two miracles attributed to them, with each alleged supernatural occurrence requiring in-depth examination. In May, a second miracle attributed to Acutis was recognized by Pope Francis, a decision which paved the way for him to be declared a saint.

That left one final step, completed Monday, when the Vatican announced the pope had decreed the canonization would go ahead after cardinals convened by the pope voted in favor of Acutis’ sainthood, along with 14 others. The date for his canonization is yet to be set, however, although it is likely to occur at some point during the Catholic Church’s jubilee year celebrations in 2025.

That canonization ceremony, expected to take place in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City in front of tens of thousands and presided over by the pope, will be the moment where Acutis is formally declared a saint, meaning the Catholic Church across the world can name parishes and schools after the teenager and will remember him annually on a “feast day.”

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/01/europe/carlo-acutis-canonized-first-millennial-saint-intl/index.html