VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican postponed the canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, due to the death of Pope Francis.
Acutis was going to be canonized next Sunday, on the occasion of the Jubilee celebration for teenagers.
In the months leading up to the long-awaited canonization, the faithful have been flocking to Assisi, Italy, where her body - dressed in sneakers, jeans, and a hoodie - lies in a sanctuary. She passed away at the age of 15 in northern Italy in 2006 after a brief battle with leukemia.
His path to sainthood, the canonization process, began over 10 years ago at the initiative of a group of priests and friends, and was formalized shortly after Pope Francis began his papacy in 2013.
Acutis was named “venerable” in 2018 after the Church recognized his virtuous life. His body was taken to a sanctuary in the Sanctuary della Spogliazione in Assisi, an important site linked to the life of Saint Francis.
He was later declared “blessed” in 2020 after the Vatican dicastery that studies the processes of sanctity recognized a miraculous healing through the intercession of Acutis: a child in Brazil who recovered in a “scientifically inexplicable” way.
Last year, the Church paved the way for his sainthood by attributing him a second miracle: the complete healing of a Costa Rican student in Italy who had suffered a serious head injury in a bicycle accident, and whose mother had prayed at Acutis’ tomb.
Acutis, an Italian teenager, used his computer skills to create an online exhibition about over 100 Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church over many centuries, focused on the real presence of Christ that Catholics believe is in the consecrated bread and wine. He also taught catechism and did outreach work with homeless people.
The Jubilee Mass for teenagers, expected to attract tens of thousands of faithful, will go ahead. It is part of a celebration of the Holy Year inaugurated by Francis in December, which the Vatican said would continue, albeit with modifications.