Pope Leo XIV canonizes millennial saint Carlo Acutis

Pope Leo XIV has officially declared Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, a saint in a solemn ceremony at St. Peter's Square.

Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at age 15, was known as "God's Influencer" for spreading the Catholic faith online and was London-born.

Tens of thousands gathered, including many young people inspired by his example, with the Vatican estimating the crowd at about 60,000.

The canonization ceremony was previously postponed due to the death of Pope Francis and marks Pope Leo XIV's first.

Italian Pier Giorgio Frassati was also made a saint on Sunday, with tapestries of both young men displayed on St. Peter's Basilica.

Pope Leo XIV stated that the new saints are an invitation, especially to young people, to make their lives masterpieces.

His body rests in a glass-walled tomb in Assisi, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Local devotion to Acutis is growing in the Philippines, with a dedicated chapel in Bocaue, Bulacan, aligning his spirituality with innovation and robotics.