Rome: As the Catholic Church prepares to raise Blessed Carlo Acutis to the altars, the bishop of Assisi, where the young man’s remains are enshrined, has issued a heartfelt appeal to young people across the world: let Acutis be your guide.
Bishop Domenico Sorrentino, shepherd of the diocese that has become inseparably linked with the memory of the teenage computer whiz and digital evangelizer, released a pastoral message on Sept. 5 just two days before Pope Leo XIV canonizes Acutis alongside Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati at St. Peter’s Square.
“Dear faithful and most beloved young people, let yourselves be guided by Carlo, follow his example, walk in his footsteps,” Bishop Sorrentino urged. “His path is the right one it leads to Jesus, and therefore to love and joy.”
A Call for Positive Role Models
In his message, the Assisi prelate contrasted the enduring witness of Acutis with the fleeting and often harmful images saturating today’s youth culture.
“Now more than ever, we need positive examples,” Sorrentino said. “Carlo teaches us that holiness is not something distant. He shows us how to live an ordinary life by putting Jesus at the center. Parents, help your children discover the light of his witness so they may live a life full of joy, full of Jesus.”
For Bishop Sorrentino, Acutis embodies the kind of inspiration young generations desperately seek not through grand gestures, but through a faithful daily life rooted in the Eucharist and expressed in service.
The Young Man Who Loved the Eucharist
Born in London in 1991 and raised in Italy, Carlo Acutis grew up fascinated by computers and coding. Yet his deepest fascination was with the mystery of the Eucharist. From childhood, he nurtured a deep devotion to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, compiling a digital catalog of Eucharistic miracles from around the world that has since been displayed internationally.
Carlo died of leukemia on Oct. 12, 2006, at just 15 years old. His beatification followed in 2020 in Assisi, where he had asked to be buried at the Church of the Spogliazione, the shrine that now receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year.
Pilgrims on the Move
In anticipation of Sunday’s canonization, the Diocese of Assisi has arranged for a special pilgrimage train to Rome carrying some 800 faithful. Volunteers will welcome pilgrims with backpacks, scarves, and hats, while priests and religious, led by Father Marco Gaballo, rector of the Shrine of the Spogliazione, will accompany them spiritually.
The shrine itself has seen an extraordinary influx of visitors. In 2024 nearly one million pilgrims came to pray at Acutis’ tomb, and this year already 630,000 have been counted sometimes as many as 4,000 in a single day.
Relics for the Canonization
In a gesture of profound significance, the Diocese of Assisi has announced that a relic containing Acutis’ heart will be brought to St. Peter’s Square for the canonization ceremony. Another relic will be presented to Pope Leo XIV as a gift. These sacred symbols highlight Acutis’ legacy as the first millennial to be canonized a saint who evangelized in the digital age and who continues to touch countless lives.
A Thanksgiving in Assisi
The celebrations will not end in Rome. On Sept. 8, the day after the canonization, Bishop Sorrentino will preside over a Mass of thanksgiving at Assisi’s Church of St. Mary Major. Carlo’s parents, the young Costa Rican woman healed through his intercession, and civil dignitaries will all be present to honor the boy who turned ordinary days into extraordinary witness.
Walking with Saints of the New Century
The joint canonization of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati marks a historic moment for the Church a recognition that holiness is not bound by age, occupation, or social status, but is attainable in everyday life.
For Bishop Sorrentino, the canonization is more than a celebration; it is a summons. “Carlo shows us that sanctity is possible for everyone,” he affirmed. “His joy, his love for the Eucharist, and his dedication to the poor reveal to young people that following Christ is the true adventure.”
On Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Square, before tens of thousands of pilgrims and with the eyes of the Catholic world fixed on the altar, the Church will declare what many have already come to believe: that Carlo Acutis is not only a companion for the youth of today, but a saint for the digital age.