Pope Leo XIV speaks ahead of a Holy Mass and canonisation ceremony of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on September 7, 2025 (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)
Pope Leo XIV presides over the canonization of the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, a 15-year-old computer whiz who used technology to spread the faith and earned the nickname “God’s influencer.”
Tens of thousands of people pack St. Peter’s Square for the open-air Mass to declare Carlo Acutis a saint.
Leo, history’s first American pope, made an unscripted appearance to the crowd before the Mass began, welcoming “so many young people who have come for this Holy Mass.”
Acutis, who is being sainted for his exemplary life and for using his computer skills to spread his faith, will become the Roman Catholic Church’s first millennial saint in Leo’s first canonization ceremony.
But behind the celebration lies a troubling legacy: The very miracles Acutis has promoted online are rooted in centuries-old antisemitic myths that have fueled hatred and violence against Jewish communities.
Some leading Jews and Catholics have criticized Rome for overlooking the antisemitic motifs tied to some of these miracles.
A nun checks her phone as a portrait of late Italian teenager Carlo Acutis is displayed onto the facade of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the background ahead of a Holy Mass and canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican on September 7, 2025 (Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)
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