“We’re happy and rejoice for the Church, because Carlo has many devotees all over the world, especially many young people,” Antonia Salzano told Aleteia. On May 23, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints announced that a second miracle attributed to Carlo Acutis' intercession had been recognized. Pope Francis is expected to officially announce the date of his canonization on July 1, 2024.
A soon-to-be saint who appeals to the young
Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, is known as the informal patron saint of the Internet. From an early age, he demonstrated great computer skills. He then put them to use in the service of evangelization, creating a virtual exhibition on Eucharistic miracles. He went to Mass and adoration every day, making the Eucharist the center of his life.
Beatified in Assisi in 2020, his canonization could take place during the Jubilee Year of 2025.
"As long as there is no canonization, [expression of the devotion] is limited. We can't build churches in his honor, for example. His canonization will greatly facilitate his mission and apostolate in the world,” explained Antonia Salzano.
It’s an important mission, especially among young people, for whom he left an exemplary testimony of life, in the simplicity of everyday living. For Antonia, “Carlo transmits an essential message: the importance of the sacraments and sanctification in daily life.”
He’s also “a sign of hope, because he is a young person of today, having grown up in the same world, populated by the same dangers that all young people know, such as pornography, alcohol, and drugs.”
In the midst of these pitfalls, Carlo is a reassuring example, as he “managed to remain unscathed without falling into these traps.”
The second miracle
The first miracle attributed to Carlo Acutis, which led to his beatification, was the unexplained healing of Matheus, a 4-year-old Brazilian child who suffered from a malformation of the pancreas and couldn’t eat properly.
The second miracle involved the healing of Valeria, a 21-year-old Costa Rican student in Florence, Italy. She suffered severe head trauma following a bicycle accident, and was between life and death.
"The girl's mother is a woman of great faith. She came to Assisi to pray all day, kneeling before Carlo's tomb. That same day, her daughter miraculously regained stable vital activity. She is now doing very well and will graduate,” said Antonia Salzano.
“Let us pray that Carlo will continue to intercede for us and that he will obtain many graces for us, in particular that of loving God as he did”.
In addition to these two miracles officially recognized by the Church, Carlo Acutis' parents have been receiving testimonies of possible miraculous healings since the day of his funeral.
"Every day we receive documents recounting possible miraculous healings. There are a lot of them. Some are even extraordinary," they say enthusiastically.
Since the second miracle was officially recognized, thousands of faithful have been waiting for the date of the canonization. “Let us pray that Carlo will continue to intercede for us and that he will obtain many graces for us,” concluded the mother of “God’s geek,” “especially that of loving God as he did.”
