Carlo Acutis, a London-born teenager who died in 2006 at age 15, is set to become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint on Sunday. Known as 'God's Influencer' for his website-building to spread Catholic teachings, he will be canonised by Pope Leo alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Acutis's relics, including a splinter from his bed and locks of his hair, are displayed in churches across Italy. His body, covered in a wax mould and dressed in a tracksuit, is on view in Assisi, where over a million pilgrims have visited. His heart is enshrined in a gold casket, and tissue samples have toured the world.
Born in London, Acutis moved to Milan as an infant. His mother, Antonia Salzano, described him as an average child who loved sports and PlayStation but was deeply devout, attending daily mass and helping the homeless. He created websites for Catholic organisations, including one cataloguing miracles.
The Vatican credited Acutis with two miracles: healing a Brazilian boy with a pancreatic disease and a Florentine student with brain bleeding. His canonisation, accelerated to attract young people, reflects the church's modern outreach.
