The Catholic Church canonize a teenager who loved computer games.

An Italian teenager will become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint after his case for canonization was approved by church authorities. Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, was good with computers. He used his skills to spread knowledge about the Catholic faith, for which he received the nickname God's influencer, reports CNN.

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Carlo Acutis, born in 1991 in London, UK, is remembered by friends and family for his passion for video games such as Halo, Super Mario and Pokémon. During his short life, he created a website where he documented cases of miracles occurring in different parts of the world.

In addition to computer games, Acutis was fond of football, played the saxophone, and made short humorous videos about his dogs.

His mother, Antonia Salzano, called her son a “sign of hope” that shows that holiness is still possible today.

“We can all become saints,” she noted. — In times of new technologies, it sometimes seems that holiness is something left in the past. But that's not true."

She said that when her son was 8 years old, they bought him a PlayStation, but the boy limited himself to one hour of gaming a week, fearing addiction and realizing “the dangers of the Internet.”

According to the mother, from the age of nine, her son helped the homeless in Milan and gave his pocket money to those who slept on the streets. He insisted that he could get by with just one pair of shoes to save money and help the poor.

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Acutis was beatified and declared "blessed" in 2020 after his first miracle, when he reportedly healed a Brazilian boy with a congenital pancreatic defect that prevented him from eating properly. The boy was healed after his mother prayed to Acutis for intercession and help in healing her son.

The second miracle attributed to Carlo Acutis involves the healing of a Costa Rican girl who suffered a head injury after falling from her bicycle in Florence, Italy. Her mother said she prayed for her daughter's recovery at Acutis' grave in Assisi.

The process of sainthood in the Catholic Church usually takes decades, but Acutis' case moved quickly and the teenager won a devoted following around the world.

In the digital age, the image of a boy in jeans and sneakers helps the Catholic Church connect with the younger generation. Carlo Acutis became popular among Catholic youth groups.

The church's sainthood process typically requires each candidate to have two attributed miracles, each of which undergoes rigorous testing. In May this year, Pope Francis recognized a second miracle attributed to Acutis, paving the way for his canonization.

On July 1, the Vatican announced that cardinals convened by the Pope had voted for the sainthood of Acutis, along with 14 new saints. The date of his canonization has not yet been set, but it will probably happen during the events dedicated to the Jubilee Year, which falls in 2025.

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(The Jubilee, or Holy Year, is a time declared by the Pope when Catholics are called to spiritual renewal, repentance and pilgrimage. Jubilee years are usually held every 25 years, and the previous one was in 2000).

The canonization ceremony, expected to take place in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in front of tens of thousands of people, will be the moment Acutis is officially declared a saint. That is, the Catholic Church around the world will be able to name parishes and schools in honor of the teenager and will remember him annually on a day dedicated to him.

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