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Cardinals, bishops, monks and priests attended Carlo Acutis’ beatification ceremony in October 2020.
CNN
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The mother of an Italian teenager who is set to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint has spoken of her “great joy” as she described her son as a normal boy who enjoys video games and pets.
Carlo Acutis, who earned the nickname “God’s influencer” by using his computer skills to spread the message of the Catholic Church, died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15.
A second miracle attributed to Acutis was recognized by Pope Francis, paving the way for him to be canonized – two miracles are usually required for a candidate to be considered for canonization.
His mother, Antonia Salzano, told CNN that the news of the second recognized miracle was a “great joy” and that Carlo was a “sign of hope” that shows sanctification is possible even today.
“You can be holy, just like me,” she said. “But [with] “With all the media and technology, holiness can sometimes seem like a thing of the past, but it’s still relevant today.”
She said she bought her son a PlayStation when he was eight, but limited him to one hour of gaming per week because she was concerned that games were addictive and knew the “dangers of the Internet.” Besides computers and games, Carlo plays the saxophone, enjoys soccer, and loves animals, sometimes making short humorous films about his dog.
Salzano said his son used his computer skills “not to make money or get famous, but to spread the gospel.” [the message of Jesus Christ]helping people” and was “full of joy.”
Although he had the same interests as other kids, the soon-to-be saint was not afraid to stand out from the crowd.
According to his mother, at the age of nine, her son would help the homeless in Milan and give his pocket money to people sleeping on the streets, and he insisted he only had one pair of shoes so he could save up money to help the poor, she explained.
He was also not afraid to stand up for victims of bullying or resist peer pressure, according to Nicola Gori, author of “Carlo Acutis: A Saint of the First Millennium” and leader of the movement for his canonization., Aktis once defended a girl from India who was targeted for wearing a sari, and was known at school for her “cheerfulness, energy and generosity.” He was known for his poverty, humility and care for creation, and was a follower of St. Francis, the Pope’s namesake.
Paolo Rodari, an Italian journalist who wrote a book about Acutis with Salzano, told CNN that Acutis was “a normal man who served the people, including many of the poor who slept on the streets of Milan. He gave them everything.”
Acutis fell ill in early 2006, was later diagnosed with leukemia, and died on October 12. His funeral two days later drew a large crowd that included immigrants to Italy and people belonging to many different religions. Devotion to Carlo quickly spread throughout the world, and his story has been taken up by several Catholic youth groups.
Salzano hopes the canonization will occur later this year or next year.
