The Millennials They already have their own representative in the Book of Saints of the Catholic Church. Yesterday, during one massive ceremony held in the Plaza de San Pedro, Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutisa young Italian who died in 2006 with only 15 years. The fascination generated by the figure of Acutis arrives at a particularly delicate moment for Rome, which has seen how in recent years it grew disaffection Between the Church and European young people. The new “Millennial Holy” offers you a unique opportunity to reconnect with them.
There are also those who have seen another opportunity: the black relic market.
What happened? That the Catholic Church already has its first saint Millennial: Carlo Acutisan Italian who died in 2006, with just 15 years, victim of a fulminating leukemia. His canonization is no surprise. Although the process that has culminated with its sanctification has been surprisingly fast, its inscription has long since been more than sitting.
The gears for their canonization were activated in 2012, seven years later his body was exhumed (With debate included about the “incorruption” of the body) and in 2020 Pope Francis Beatified. Since then, the procedures of the Dicastery of the Causes of the Saints have advanced at an unusual speed. Moreover, his proclamation was expected to Last Aprilcoinciding with the jubilee of adolescents, but the death of Bergoglio disrupted those plans.
Who was Carlo Acutis? A young Italian. Nothing else. Nothing less. And it is that apparent simplicity that explains that it has become such a relevant figure for Rome. Having been born in 1991 Acutis is in theory the first saint of The Millenial cohort“. In fact, it is presented again and again In the international press, as “the first ‘millennial'”. If that were not enough to do so, Acutis showed another peculiarity: it was another boy of his time, with hobbies and a style that he would not disregard that of any young man of the 2000s.
In recent years, Acutis has been presented as a young ‘normal and current’ who breaks with the image that usually accompanies holiness: he liked football, playing with the playstation, setting videos with his friends and seemed to feel a inclination for computer science. So much so that it is said that he used his programming knowledge, acquired thanks to the reading of manuals, to elaborate several websites for altruistic purposes, including one dedicated to List miracles.
In which it is probably the maximum reaffirmation of that ‘normal’ character, as a person of his time, Acutis’s body rests after a glazed sepulcher in the church of Santa María la MayorAssisi, dressed in a blue sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. No robes or ceremonial clothes.
Why is it important? Because perhaps because of its history, its appearance or mixture of both Acutis has become a specially interesting figure for Rome. To begin with an out of the ordinary interest. It is said that throughout the last year One million pilgrims They have visited their grave in Assisi, a figure that slides The Wall Street Journalcould be overcome this year.
Another proof of his enormous popularity is that yesterday Pope Leo XIV not only canonized him. In the same ceremony, holy was consecrated to Pier Giorgio Frassatianother young activist who died in 1925 with only 24 years. His name has been eclipsed by the mass phenomenon of “First saint ‘millennial’ “. “What is happening with Carlo is difficult to explain. It is something that far exceeds our expectations,” Recognize The Bishop of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino. That devotion was evident since soon, in 2006, during his funeral.
Are there more reasons? Yes. Acutis was not only a Millennial for its date of birth. The stories about his life insist that he shared the hobbies of most young people of his age, such as sport, technology or video games, tastes that combined with his religious devotion. “I was going to Mass and prayed the rosary every day,” His mother tellsAntonia Salzano. “We lived in the center of Milan, in a building surrounded by beggars. He wanted to help them, talk to them, bring them food and blankets.” In recent years It has not lacked Who warns that the image built around Acutis is forced and ensures that the young man did not like football or preferred the sports moccasins that we wear in his grave.
Is that relevant? Yes it is. Acutis is a breath of air, an oxygen ball for a Catholic church that has seen how the secularism gap grew over the last years, especially among young people. At least in part of the world. In June Funcas published A studybased on data from the European Social Survey, which shows that last year only 32% of the population between 18 and 29 years was identified as Catholic. If we look at just two decades, 2002, that percentage was almost double, around 60%.
It is not the only example of that growing disaffection. Another recent report Fundació Ferrer I Guàrdia points out that almost 60% of Spaniards under 44 are declared non -religious. In other European countries the situation is not very different. Recently the University of St Mary’s in London did A poll Between different countries of the continent and found that in large part of them the percentage of young adults without religion was approaching or already exceeded 50%.
Yesterday, hardly the ceremony held in Rome, Leo XIV recognized Feeling “cheerful” of seeing “so many young people” and insisted on pointing to Carlo (and Frassati) as models to follow for the new generations. “They are an invitation for all of us, especially for young people, not to waste our lives, but to direct them to the top,” proclaimed The Supreme Pontiff at a time when Spanish seminars suffer A historical drought of vocations. To further reinforce their image, there are those who already refer to Acutis as “God’s influencer “ either “Internet patron saint”an honor that isor Isidoro of Seville.
Does the Church interest only? No. The devotion around the figure of Acutis, whom the Church attributes Two alleged miraculous healingshas generated something much less edifying: a Black Market of relics attributed to the Italian adolescent. He censored it already in March The Bishop of Assisi, who warned of the existence of online auctions with vestiges of Blessed. To be more precise the prelate Domenico Sorrentino denounced before the police the announcement of an auction of “ex capillis With guarantee “, that is, hair that supposedly belonged to the young man.
Moreover, the Bishop of Assisi publicly regretted that the relics that came to Puja were also associated with other saints related to their region, Umbría. “On the Internet there is a market for relics of several saints, such as our Francisco de Asís, with a price list included. It is something impossible to accept,” He settled.
And why do they do it? Because Acutis veneration is felt beyond the Sanctuary of Assisi. Associated Press ensures that the young man’s tufts were sold For more than 2,000 euros Before being removed and Wall Street Journal He goes further and even speaks that other relics have arrived at the black market, such as fabric fragments of his clothes or pieces of his handwritten notebooks.
The most precious vestige is the heart of the young Italian, which is in A chest in the Cathedral of San Rufino. Others Fragments From the pericardio they have gone around the world before their canonization, including Spain. Yesterday in Rome a Large offer of articles that showed the image of the new Catholic saint, such as statuettes, stickers, t -shirts or fans.
Images | Wikipedia (Dobroš), Salesianlink (Flickr)
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