What happened
Pope Leo XIV Sunday elevated to sainthood two young Italians who died eight decades apart, Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, during a mass in St. Peter's Square before a crowd of 80,000. Acutis, a computer prodigy known as "God's influencer" due to his meticulous cataloging of miracles online, died at age 15 in 2006, days after being diagnosed with leukemia. He is the Catholic Church's first millennial saint.
Who said what
"Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upward and make them masterpieces," Leo said Sunday, at the first canonization of his papacy. Acutis' "road to sainthood ranks among the fastest in modern history," The Washington Post said. His parents and siblings were in attendance at the ceremony.
Frassati, who died from polio in 1925 at age 24, was known for serving the poor and spreading his faith among his friends. He and Acutis came from prominent, wealthy families, and "in both cases, word of their goodness and faith spread quickly and grew globally," The New York Times said.
What next?
Pope Francis, before he died in April, had "fervently pushed the Acutis sainthood case forward, convinced that the church needed someone like him to attract young Catholics to the faith while addressing the promises and perils of the digital age," The Associated Press said. About a million pilgrims visited Acutis' glass tomb in Assisi last year, and "more people are on track to visit it this year," The Wall Street Journal said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
September 28 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Jim Comey indictment and Pam Bondi as a the Wicked Witch of the West
-
The Liberal Democrats: on the march?Talking Point After winning their highest number of seats in 2024, can the Lib Dems marry ‘stunts’ with a ‘more focused electoral strategy’?
-
Your Party: a Pythonesque shamblesTalking Point Comical disagreements within Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's group highlight their precarious position
-
Thailand's monk sex scandalIn The Spotlight New accusations involving illicit sex and blackmail have shaken the nation and opened a debate on the privileges monks enjoy
-
Southern Baptists lay out their political road mapThe Explainer The Southern Baptist Convention held major votes on same-sex marriage, pornography and more
-
Southern Baptists endorse gay marriage banSpeed Read The largest US Protestant denomination voted to ban same-sex marriage and pornography at their national meeting
-
Where the new Pope Leo XIV stands on social issuesThe Explainer The first American pontiff is expected to continue some of his predecessor's work
-
Prevost elected first US pope, becomes Leo XIVspeed read Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is a Chicago native who spent decades living in Peru
-
Leo XIV vs. Trump: what will first American Pope mean for US Catholics?Today's Big Question New pope has frequently criticised the president, especially on immigration policy, but is more socially conservative than his predecessor
-
Schools: When religious parents objectFeature Maryland parents seek to opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed lessons that contradict their religious beliefs
-
Could the next pope be an American?Today's Big Question Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost is a possible 'superpower pope'
