Behind the altar of a chapel in northern Rome, there is a see-through safe carved into the wall, housing several relics of Carlo Acutis. These relics include a splinter from his wooden bed, a piece of a jumper he wore, a piece of the sheet he was covered with after death, and locks of his hair displayed in other churches in Italy and abroad. Acutis, the London-born Italian who became the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, created websites to spread Catholic teachings, earning him the nickname “God’s Influencer” after his death from leukemia at age 15.
Shrines containing these relics are part of an ancient tradition bestowed upon the Church’s highest-ranking deceased members, serving as tangible reminders of a saint’s life. Despite being small, the relics at Sant’Angela Merici help instill courage in pilgrims, according to parish priest Danilo Spagnoletti. He believes that praying near a saint’s remains, particularly one who lived a short but impactful life, is especially inspirational for young people.
On the day of his canonization, Acutis will be declared a saint by Pope Leo alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati, another young Catholic activist who died a century ago. The event is expected to draw thousands to Rome. The Church categorizes relics into first, second, and third classes, with first-class relics drawing the largest crowds. Over the past year, more than 1 million people visited Assisi in central Italy, where Acutis’s body, covered in a wax mold of his likeness and dressed in his blue tracksuit top, jeans, and trainers, is on display. His heart is in a gold casket in San Rufino cathedral, and pieces of tissue from his pericardium have toured the world.
Acutis’s mother, Antonia Salzano, has also traveled the world, telling Catholic communities about her son’s life and bringing strands of his hair as gifts. Once he is canonized, the relics will become the Vatican’s possession. Acutis was born in London, where his father worked in insurance, before the family moved to Milan. Despite coming from a non-religious family, Acutis showed a deep devotion to the Catholic faith from a young age and created websites for Catholic organizations. He passed away in 2006 and was credited with two miracles by late Pope Francis.
The speed of Acutis’s canonization is part of the Church’s efforts to attract a younger audience, as worshipping relics appeals to many people, especially the young. While some non-Catholics may find this practice bizarre or gruesome, it serves as a reminder that anyone can become a saint, according to Acutis’s mother. Despite criticisms about the buzz created around him and concerns about relics being sold online, Acutis remains a significant inspiration for many people in the Catholic faith.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/06/pope-prepares-to-canonise-london-born-teenager-nicknamed-gods-influencer
