Well, it was bound to happen eventually: the Catholic Church is preparing to canonize the first-ever gamer saint. Earlier today, the Vatican announced it would canonize Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who will be the first millenial saint of the Catholic Church. Acutis died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15.
Acutis was born in 1991 in London, and moved to Milan, Italy with his family not long after. He grew up in the Catholic faith, frequently volunteering with homeless individuals, cleaning up litter in his neighborhood, working at his local church, and otherwise performing acts of kindness. Alongside other hobbies and interests, Acutis apparently enjoyed video games and was known to play Halo, Mario, and Pokemon.
His mother claims that while he purchased a PlayStation when he was eight, he limited himself to just one hour of gaming a week due to concerns about addiction. Acutis was adept with technology, and has been referred to as "God's influencer" due to his work documenting various Catholic miracles on a website he designed . A tapestry featuring a portrait of Carlo Acutis is hang at the St.
Francis Basilica during the beatification ceremony of Carlo Acutis, on October 10, 2020 in Assisi, Italy. Photo Credit: Vatican Pool/Getty Images Acutis has been undergoing the multiple steps of the canonization process for the last several years. Canonization can often take years or even decades, typically requiring at least two miracles be attributed to the candidate alongs.
