Overview

• Léon XIV declared Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati saints at a Mass in St. Peter’s Square attended by tens of thousands, with a notably youthful crowd.
• The Vatican recognized two miracles attributed to Acutis: a Brazilian child healed of a rare pancreatic malformation and a Costa Rican student’s recovery after severe head trauma.
• This was Léon XIV’s first canonization and it took place during the Church’s Jubilee year after an April date was postponed following Pope Francis’s death.
• Acutis’s body, displayed in Assisi in jeans, a sweatshirt and sneakers, has attracted nearly one million visitors in 2024 as the Church has not disclosed details of its conservation.
• Backers celebrate a relatable, internet‑era witness to faith, while some commentators question the rapid pace and the messaging behind canonizing a 15‑year‑old.