Around 80,000 people, including many families with young children, attended an open-air mass at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on 7/9. The Vatican said 36 cardinals, 270 bishops, and hundreds of priests registered to celebrate mass with Pope Leo XIV.
During the ceremony, Pope Leo XIV canonized Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, and Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian Catholic who died in 1925 at the age of 24. The Pope praised both for "creating masterpieces in their lives by offering themselves to God".
"The greatest risk is wasting life outside of God's plan. These new saints are a call to us, especially young people, not to waste our lives, but to aim high and turn them into masterpieces," the Pope said in his homily.
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Pope Leo XIV at the open-air mass in St. Peter's Square on 7/9. Photo: AFP |
Pope Leo XIV at the open-air mass in St. Peter's Square on 7/9. Photo: AFP
The canonization ceremony was originally scheduled for earlier this year but was postponed due to the death of Pope Francis in April. During his life, Pope Francis had championed Acutis's cause for sainthood, believing the Church needed someone like him to engage young people and address the challenges of the digital age.
Acutis, an Italian computer prodigy, was born in London in 1991. His mother, Antonia Salzano, said that from a young age, Acutis asked his parents to visit churches in Milan and donated his pocket money to the poor in the city.
At school, Acutis also helped classmates with disabilities, those who were bullied, or those whose parents were about to divorce. He also began charitable activities. He taught himself to code in elementary school, creating websites for Catholic organizations and a site documenting miracles around the world. Acutis died in 2006 from leukemia.
The Church beatified Acutis in 2020 after recognizing the first miracle. The Vatican then declared that Acutis "intervened from heaven to save the life of a Brazilian boy suffering from a rare disease" in 2013, following the prayers of a priest.
In the second miracle, the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints investigated and confirmed that Acutis "intervened from heaven" to help Valeria Valverde, a woman involved in a traffic accident in Florence, Italy, in 2022, make a miraculous recovery.
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The tomb of Carlo Acutis in Assisi, central Italy. Photo: Camino Catolico |
The tomb of Carlo Acutis in Assisi, central Italy. Photo: Camino Catolico
Pier Giorgio Frassati, also canonized on 7/9, was born in 1901 to a prominent family in Turin, northwest Italy. Frassati was known for his dedication to serving the poor, participating in charitable activities, and spreading his faith to friends.
According to Catholicism, believers can pray for the deceased whom they believe are in heaven, asking them to intercede with God on their behalf, such as praying for the recovery of loved ones. If the sick person recovers unexpectedly, beyond scientific explanation, the Vatican may consider it a miracle.
Canonization is a long process, conducted according to the strict rules of the Catholic Church. Candidates must be recognized for a first miracle before being beatified. A candidate is eligible for canonization when a second miracle is certified after the beatification ceremony.
Nguyen Tien (AFP, AP, Reuters)
