Pope Leo XIV has announced the canonization of Carlo Acutis, a millennial computer programmer, and Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian student and avid outdoorsman, as saints on Sunday in Rome. The ceremony is expected to draw at least 250,000 faithful, with the Vatican anticipating that over 32 million pilgrims will travel during the Jubilee Year. This event coincides with Pope Francis’s efforts to attract young Catholics to the faith and address the impact of technology and artificial intelligence on modern life.
Fr. Charlie Gallagher, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Washington, D.C., has traveled to Rome for the ceremony, emphasizing the personal significance of the event for him. The Pope, who inherited the Acutis cause, has pointed to technology — especially artificial intelligence — as one of the main challenges facing humanity. Frassati lived his faith through ‘constant, humble, mostly hidden service to the poorest of Turin,’ as noted by the Frassati Catholic Academy. He died in his early 20s of polio, believed to have contracted the illness from those he ministered to in the slums of Turin.
The canonization underscores the Church’s ongoing engagement with contemporary challenges, such as the digital age and the role of technology in shaping faith and society. While the event is a significant religious milestone, it also reflects the Pope’s efforts to connect with younger generations and address the broader implications of modern technology on spiritual life.