Tens of thousands filled St. Peter's Square for the first canonizations of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. Greeting the crowd before the Mass, the Pope said, “Today is a wonderful celebration day for all of Italy, for the whole Church, for the whole world.”
As Carlo's little brother read the First Reading, and his family brought up the gifts, viewers from around the world were reminded that one message of the first millennial saint is: Sanctity is normal and a call for everyone!
With these canonizations, Pope Leo XIV opens his register of saints by turning the spotlight toward young lay Catholics and their capacity to renew communities from the ground up. As the crowds dispersed down the Via della Conciliazione, many repeated Acutis’ favorite line about the Eucharist as a “highway to heaven,” and Frassati's invitation to focus all of life on a journey "to the heights!" — a summary, perhaps, of why this day felt so hopeful for believers and observers alike.
