London born teen set to become first millennial saint

A London-born teenager dubbed 'God's Influencer' is to become the first millennial to be made a saint.

Carlo Acutis - who died of leukaemia in 2006, aged 15 - has had a second miracle attributed to him by Pope Francis.

A girl from Costa Rica - studying in Italy - was reportedly healed after suffering a head trauma.

Before that, the child had also apparently cured a Brazilian boy of a serious birth defect.

Touted as the "patron saint of the internet", Carlo used his natural tech talent to create a website to catalogue miracles and took care of websites for some local Catholic organisations.

While still in junior school, Carlo taught himself to code using a university computer science textbook, and then learned how to edit videos and create animation.

Carlo, who died of acute leukemia on October 12, 2006, was put on the road to sainthood after Pope Francis approved the first miracle attributed to him: The healing of a seven-year-old Brazilian boy from a rare pancreatic disorder after coming into contact with an Carlo's relic, a piece of one of his T-shirts.

According to Vatican News, the second miracle recognised on Thursday is related to a woman from Costa Rica, who in July 2022 made a pilgrimage to Carlo's tomb in Assisi to pray for the healing of her daughter, who had suffered severe head trauma after falling from her bicycle.

The young woman started showing signs of recovery immediately after her mother's plea.

Carlo was buried in Assisi at his own request, having become an admirer of St Francis of Assisi for his dedication to the poor.

The Umbrian town was one of his favourite travel destinations. His body, clad in a tracksuit and sneakers, has been on display for veneration in a sanctuary in the town, and his heart has been displayed in a reliquary in the St Francis Basilica.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.