‘Saint in a tracksuit’: Could first millennial saint bring young people to Catholic Church?

Carlo Acutis was just 15 when he died in 2006. British-born and living in Milan, the teenager became a devout Catholic and used his computer skills to develop a website detailing miracles. Just a few days after he launched his website, he fell ill and died.

By 2013 he was on the way to sainthood having been named a “Servant of God”; in that same year a woman in Brazil claimed that praying to Acutis helped heal her son’s pancreatic illness. In 2020 Pope Francis authenticated the miracle and Acutis was beatified. Then, in 2024, a second miracle was recognised.

The Pope approved Acutis’ canonisation in July, with an official ceremony set for 2025.

Already relics of the “saint dressed in jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt” are touring the world with a lock of his hair being stolen at this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Co Laois.

Former Irish Times religious correspondent Patsy McGarry explains the path to sainthood and what the teenager’s elevation means.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.

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