Pope declares 'God's influencer' first millennial saint

A nun checks her phone as a portrait of late Italian teenager Carlo Acutis is displayed onto the facade of Saint Peter's Basilica in the background at the Vatican on September 7, 2025. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the Vatican on Sunday as Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Catholic Church's first millennial saint, an Italian teenager dubbed "God's Influencer" for his efforts to spread the faith online.

London-born Carlo Acutis, who died of leukaemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was canonised in a solemn ceremony in St Peter's Square, with his family watching on.