Pope Leo XIV to make teen Carlo Acutis the first millennial saint

Known as 'God's influencer' Carlo Acutis will become the first millennial saint at a solemn canonization Mass held by Pope Leo XIV.

ASSISI, Italy — To his mom, he was “a normal kid,” but on Sunday, Carlo Acutis will become the first millennial saint at a solemn canonization Mass held by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Square outside the Vatican.

Informally known as the “God's influencer” Carlo was just 15 when he died of acute promyelocytic leukemia in Milan in 2006 and has two miracles attributed to him by the Catholic Church. Being made a saint means the church believes a person lived a holy life and is now in heaven with God.

But in an interview with NBC News, his mother, Antonia Salzano, 58, said that, in many ways, her son was just like any other teenager who liked playing video games, hanging out with his friends and playing soccer.

“He was a normal kid, he was a normal person, but he opened the door of his heart to God,” she said earlier this year.

Carlo was born in London where his father, Andrea Acutis, 61, was working as a merchant banker, but the family moved back to Milan when he was young. Salzano said that from an early age, Carlo “was always generous with his things.”