The second miracle after the death of Carlo Acutis has paved the way for this kind-hearted computer prodigy to be canonized.
An Italian teenager born in England, who dedicated his short life to spreading faith online and aiding the poor, is set to become the first saint of the millennium, Guardian reported on May 23.
He was beatified in 2020 and is now recognized by the Pope for a second miracle. (Photo: Vatican).
Wholehearted for Others
Carlo Acutis was a computer prodigy, who passed away from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. On May 23, Pope Francis issued a decree recognizing Acutis’s second posthumous miracle, qualifying this teenager for canonization.
Acutis, known as the “Apostle of the Eucharist on the Internet,” was born in London in 1991 before moving to Milan with his Italian parents, Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, during his childhood.
Among the 912 individuals canonized by Pope Francis, the nearest date of birth is prior to 1926.
In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Mr. Salzano shared that from the age of three, his son had been visiting churches in Milan and donating his pocket money to the poor in the city.
He noted that Acutis would also offer support to classmates whose parents were divorcing, protect disabled friends from bullying, and distribute food and sleeping bags to the homeless in Milan.
Acutis taught himself to code while still in elementary school, using this skill to create websites for Catholic organizations, as well as a site documenting miracles around the world.
Carlo Acutis’s mother, Antonia Acutis, stated that her son’s life “can be a reflection of how the Internet can be used for good, to spread beautiful things.” (Photo: Acutis Family).
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi remarked: “The Church in Assisi is celebrating a commemoration. I plan to go to Assisi tonight to thank God during the Eucharistic celebration. But now, I, along with the faithful, am at the shrine to pray in praise.”
Two Miracles Required
In Catholicism, believers can pray to deceased individuals whom they believe are in heaven, asking them to speak to God on their behalf, such as praying for someone to recover from illness.
If the sick person in the prayer recovers unexpectedly, this may be recognized by the Vatican as a miracle. If a deceased individual is attributed with two such miracles recognized by the Pope, they qualify for canonization.
The path to sainthood for Acutis began after the Vatican concluded that he had miraculously saved another boy. The Catholic Church beatified Acutis on October 10, 2020.
Beatified, also known as blessed, is the third step in the process of canonization. The Vatican acknowledged that he intervened from heaven in 2013 to heal a Brazilian boy suffering from a rare pancreatic condition. A priest prayed to Acutis on behalf of the child, who was said to have recovered after coming into contact with a piece of Acutis’s clothing.
Regarding the second miracle, the Catholic Church’s body responsible for examining the validity of miracles, known as the Medical Council of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, is investigating claims that a woman from Costa Rica made a miraculous recovery following a bicycle accident in Florence in 2022.
Valeria Valverde, 21, underwent emergency surgery to relieve pressure on her brain, and her family was informed that she was in critical condition.
Her mother prayed for her daughter at Acutis’s grave in Assisi, Umbria six days later.
The Church reported that on the same day, Valverde began breathing without a ventilator and regained the use of her upper limbs as well as her ability to speak.
She was discharged from the intensive care unit ten days later, and scan results showed that the bruising on her brain had disappeared.
