The First Millennial Saint is Here to Bless Us in the Digital Age
The body of 15-year-old Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, is being venerated by Catholics in Assisi and the church is about to make him the first Millennial saint.
The body of 15-year-old Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, is being venerated by Catholics in Assisi and the church is about to make him the first Millennial saint. He is considered the patron saint of the Internet and social media.
Carlo Acutis, the first Millennial saint, after his body was prepared for veneration and beatification
There’s a body on display in a small church in the central Italian town of Assisi. A seemingly well-preserved corpse enshrined behind glass. In the same Assisi associated with Catholic saints Francis and Clare.
This body is located in the Santuario della Spogliazione (Sanctuary of the Spoliation), the church where St. Francis is said to have stripped naked in front of the bishop to renounce his earthly goods and wealth.
The body is dressed in a track jacket, jeans, and a nice pair of Nike sneakers.
The face and hands are visible, and while fairly lifelike, it has a fake, plastic appearance. That’s because it’s silicon. The church used to use wax to gussy up a corpse, but these days silicone lasts longer and looks more lifelike. Not to mention it slows deterioration by preventing further exposure of the decomposed areas to air.
Beneath the silicone, denim, and polyester are the very real remains of a 15-year-old boy named Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 and was exhumed by the church in 2020 to be prepared for beatification.
The body of Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, preserved and displayed for public veneration in a church in Assisi
Some accounts incorrectly claim Carlo is incorrupt (like this recent case of the nun in Missouri) but the Bishop of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino, has been very clear that Carlo’s body was preserved with “art and love” when it was exhumed, as it was in an advanced state of decomposition.
Still, you don’t have to incorrupt to be a saint, there just have to be miracles. And since a worried mother prayed to Carlo’s body for her son to be healed from a bicycle accident—and the son recovered—it seems Carlo qualifies.
The church hasn’t officially declared any particular patronages for Carlo yet, many already consider him the patron saint of the Internet because in the early 2000s he was dedicated to using technology to share his faith by building a website that documented Eucharistic miracles, as well as managing online platforms for various Catholic organizations.
Some also consider Carlo the patron saint of social media.
I’m not sure why.
I mean, he may have had a Myspace page, but he was fortunate enough to miss the hellscape of Facebook and everything else that has appeared to ruin humanity since.
Maybe it’s all the selfies kids are taking with his body and posting to their feeds.
Whatever the reason, though, I’m sure we can all agree that we need some kind of divine intervention from social media, and maybe Carlo will be the one to save our souls from soul-sucking algorithms and TikTok dances.
I can’t help but feel that, even though Carlo’s body may bring some sort of…something…to those who need it, it feels like the church is doing what it does best in exploiting a tragedy to get more dollars in the collection basket.
Additionally, Carlo’s heart was removed from his body, placed in a reliquary and taken to the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi to be venerated separately as a sacred relic.
Carlo was born on May 3, 1991, which will make him the first Millennial saint when he is canonized on April 27, 2025.
The incorrupt body of saint Vincent Pallotti on display in Rome
Of course, Carlo is just the latest in a long, strange history of the church venerating body parts, intact or otherwise. There are countless human remains on display in Catholic churches around the world, from small fragments such as hair, fingers, skulls, brain matter, and even the miraculous foreskin of Jesus himself—the Holy Prepuce—to full bodies which have been deemed incorrupt or incased in wax effigies.
The bones of St. Nicholas in Bari leak an oily liquid that’s collected once a year, mixed into Holy Water, and distributed for consumption.
The dried blood of St. Januarius miraculously liquefies once a year and is said to protect Naples from disaster.
A vial of blood in Belgium is said to be that of Christ, and believers touch it for blessings during the annual Procession of the Holy Blood.
A skull said to be that of Mary Magdalene is contained inside a gold reliquary shaped like her head, and carried around La Sainte-Baume near Marseille in France every July 22 on her feast day. A nearby Holy Cave is said to be where she lived out her final days in contemplation and prayer.
The skull of Mary Magdalene in France
In Padua, touching the Incorrupt Tongue of St. Anthony is supposed to help people with speech difficulties.
A mysterious, oily fluid leaks out of the tomb from the bones of St. Walburga in Eichstätt, Germany. It is distributed to the sick, who ingest it or rub it on themselves.
The Milk Grotto in Bethlehem, while not directly connected to preserved bones or organs, is often visited by people struggling with infertility as it’s said the breast milk of the Virgin Mary dripped on the floor and turned it white.
Bernadette’s incorrupt body is displayed inside a tomb of gold and glass in Lourdes.
The not-well-preserved body of St. Paula Frassinetti can be seen in Rome.
And we can’t forget the catacomb saints, whose bones were dug out of the catacombs beneath Rome, articulated, lavishly decorated in gold and priceless jewels, and distributed to churches around Europe as relics during a period of time when the church was desperately trying to get people back in the pews.
Gross. Catholics are a fucked up group ran by Satan.