Generation

Vatican postpones sainthood for millenial ‘God’s influencer’ after pope’s death

Antonia Salzano, mother of Blessed Carlo Acutis, an adolescent who spent his life spreading his faith online, earning the moniker "God's Influencer", poses in front of a portrait of her son, in Assisi, on April 4, 2025. Blessed Carlo Acutis, the world's first millennial saint who died in 2006 aged 15, will be canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2025 in The Vatican. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP)

Vatican City, Holy See: Sunday’s scheduled canonization of the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint has been postponed to a later date after the death of Pope Francis, the Vatican said on Monday.

Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 aged 15, was meant to have his sainthood rubber-stamped in a mass at the Holy See on April 27.

“Following the death of the Sovereign Pontiff Francis, we inform you that the Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis… has been postponed,” the Vatican said in a brief statement.

Dubbed “God’s Influencer” or the “Cyber Apostle”, Acutis spent much of his short life spreading the Catholic faith online.

Carlo was born in London to Italian parents on May 3, 1991, but mostly grew up in Milan. He spent holidays in the family’s second home in Assisi, and eventually died in Monza, northern Italy.

His family was wealthy and not religiously observant, but Carlo was imbued with ardent faith from a young age, attending mass every day.