Pope Leo declares internet star world's first millennial saint
The youngest ever Catholic saint has now been appointed in a historic decision by Pope Leo, as an internet star dubbed 'God's influencer' has emerged as the first ever millennial saint nearly two decades after his tragic passing.
Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, made history earlier this year when the white smoke emerged from the Vatican and he was elected as the first ever leader of the Catholic church originating from the United States.
While ancient prophecies have made some worrying predictions about his time in leadership, he has certainly made an impact so far, particularly in reference to his relationship with technology.
He was spotted sporting a popular gadget from Apple during his first official mass, and has offered chilling warnings about how artificial intelligence threatens the future of humanity, echoing the thoughts of many experts in the field.
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However, one perhaps unexpected realm of expertise that the new pope appears to posses is social media, and that has been made clear in his decision to appoint a new saint in another historic first.
As reported by Dexerto, Pope Leo has made the decision to appoint both the first ever millennial and youngest ever saint in a recent cannonization, as he has opted to raise the late British-Italian social media star Carlos Acutis.
Acutis was famous for his presence on social media and the internet at large, having originally gained in popularity after creating a website that listed every reported Eucharistic miracle and every approved Marian apparition.
He tragically passed away in 2006 at just 15 years old after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia, offering his suffering shortly before his death for both Pope Benefict XVI and the Catholic Church.
The call for him to be canonized was started shortly after his death, with the Archdiocese of Milan officially opening the cause for his canonization in October 2012 — six years after his death.
Now, Pope Leo finally announced that Acutis would be officially canonized alongside Pier Giorgio Frassati, with his parents and siblings attending the ceremony at St Peter's Square.
What makes Acutis' newly appointed sainthood fascinating isn't just his age, as he's the youngest by 65 years, but his status in relation to modern technology, social media, and gaming.
Pope Leo dubbed Acutis 'God's influencer' and many have also referred to him as the first 'gamer saint' due to his passionate interest in video games, and the leader of the Catholic Church has used this historic moment to address young people as a whole.
"The greatest risk in life is to waste it outside of God's plan," Pope Leo declared, adding that new saints like Acutis "are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make the masterpieces."