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Pope Francis has attributed a second miracle to Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager known as "God's Influencer," paving the way for him to become the first saint of the millennial generation. Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, used his computer skills to spread the Catholic faith online.
Born in London and raised in Milan, Acutis created a website to catalog miracles and managed websites for local Catholic organizations. His mother, Antonia Salzano, said in an interview with Vatican News that Acutis was considered a computer genius who used his skills to serve the Lord, not for chatting or having fun.
In 2020, Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to Acutis involving the healing of a 7-year-old Brazilian boy with a rare pancreatic disorder. The boy's recovery was attributed to his contact with a piece of Acutis' T-shirt. The latest miracle attributed to Acutis involves the healing of Valeria Valverde, a 21-year-old girl from Costa Rica who suffered a serious head injury in a bicycle accident. After her mother prayed for her recovery at Acutis' tomb in Assisi, Italy, Valverde began to breathe on her own and was discharged from intensive care 10 days later.
Despite his short life, Acutis left a significant impact on his community. He was known for his kindness to those living on society's margins, buying sleeping bags for homeless people, and volunteering at a soup kitchen in Milan. His funeral was attended by many of the poor people he had helped.
The Vatican has not yet announced when Acutis will be officially recognized as a saint.