Carlo Acutis was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on 7 September 2025. He was 15 when he died in 2006. Official accounts describe a teenager who enjoyed video games and used his computer skills for religious and community projects, while his daily Catholic practice and service—not gaming—were central to the Church’s account of his path to sainthood.
Carlo Acutis is a saint, not still on the road to sainthood
Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutis at St. Peter’s Basilica on 7 September 2025, alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati. The Carlo Acutis Foundation says the two were inscribed in the Register of Saints that day. The headline phrase “on the road to sainthood” is therefore out of date: Acutis is now Saint Carlo Acutis. The Pope’s canonization homily places his example in the context of faith, family, school and parish life.
What is documented about his video-game interests?
The Carlo Acutis Foundation says he enjoyed video games, played soccer, volunteered and helped other children. The official materials cited here do not verify that he played Pokémon or used a PlayStation 2, so those specific details should not be treated as established facts.
His interest in games is part of the story because it makes him recognizably a teenager, not because gaming explains his canonization. The Church’s accounts instead emphasize his Catholic devotion, charitable service and efforts to use technology for religious purposes.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
How Acutis used computers for religious work
According to the Vatican biography, Acutis learned to design web pages while helping with a parish website. He also designed a website for a school volunteer project in summer 2006 and worked on a page for the Pontifical Academy Cultorum Martyrum.
He is also associated with an exhibition about Eucharistic miracles. In the Church’s account, this work reflects his use of digital skills for evangelization: technology was a tool for sharing a subject important to his faith, rather than an end in itself.
Rank #2
- My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of His Mother
The faith and service behind his public image
Born in London on 3 May 1991 to Italian parents, Acutis moved with his family to Milan later that year. The Vatican says he received First Communion at seven and attended Mass daily. When school prevented him from going to Mass, he made a spiritual communion. He attended Istituto Leone XIII, a classical high school in Milan, and served as a parish catechist.
The Vatican biography attributes to him the line, “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” In his 2025 homily, Pope Leo XIV also recalled Carlo saying, “In front of the sun, you get a tan. In front of the Eucharist, you become a saint!” The same homily describes his encounters with Jesus through his family, school and parish sacraments.
The Foundation attributes another well-known line to Acutis: “Everyone is born as an original, but many die as a photocopy”. Media descriptions have called him an “Influencer of God,” a nickname that captures his association with digital evangelization; the sources cited here do not establish that he coined the phrase.
From beatification to canonization
The Catholic Church’s process leading to Acutis’s canonization included these milestones, as summarized in the Vatican biography and Pope Leo XIV’s homily:
Rank #4
- 2018: The Church recognized his heroic virtues.
- 10 October 2020: He was beatified in Assisi after the Church recognized a first miracle attributed to his intercession.
- 2022: A second miracle associated with Florence was approved in the canonization process.
- 7 September 2025: Pope Leo XIV canonized him in Rome.
Miracles in this account are events the Catholic Church recognized as attributable to Acutis’s intercession. That is the Church’s religious interpretation and part of its canonization process.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.His death and burial
Acutis died after an illness on 12 October 2006, aged 15 years and five months. The Vatican says he was first buried in Ternengo and later moved to Assisi, where his body is kept at the Shrine of the Spoliation.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
