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Rome Newsroom, Sep 4, 2025 / 13:57 pm (CNA).

Before he was known as a soon-to-be-saint, Carlo Acutis was simply a boy in a school uniform, lugging his backpack through the hallways of the Tommaseo Institute in Milan. His teachers remember him as joyful, a bit of a prankster, and passionate about his Catholic faith.

"He was certainly not a perfect student," Sister Monica Ceroni, Acutis' middle school religion teacher, recalled. He sometimes forgot his homework or showed up late. But he had a "healthy curiosity" and "and wanted to get to the bottom of things."

"When he became passionate about something, he didn't give up," she told EWTN News.

Acutis spent nearly eight years at the Tommaseo Institute, a Catholic elementary and middle school run by the Marcelline Sisters in central Milan. Located just across the street from his parish church of Santa Maria Segreta, the school became the setting for his daily routine of classes, soccer games with friends in the courtyard, and visits to the chapel to pray.  

"What is striking in his report cards … is that religion was the only subject he did well in," Ceroni said. "He was someone who liked to be involved in the classroom conversations, especially in religion," she added. 

"He was also a real joker," she added, recalling some of the pranks he played with his classmates. 

The Acutis family hired a tutor named Elisa to help Carlo with his homework, and Carlo would sometimes invite Elisa her to come with him to Mass afterward. Elisa, like so many others in Carlo's life, later said that she grew in her faith because of her relationship with Carlo. 

His teachers also noticed that Carlo gravitated toward classmates who struggled or were left out.  

Sister Miranda Moltedo, who was the principal of Carlo's elementary school when he was a student, recalled a boy in the class whose mother had abandoned him. "Carlo had taken him under his wing, protecting him," she said. "We knew that he was a child who needed special attention, affection, and love, and Carlo cared about him." 

Carlo also stood up to bullies. When a classmate with mental disabilities was being teased and bullied, Carlo defended him. A teacher observed that, as a result, sometimes that classmate could be overly clingy with Carlo. When she the teacher asked Carlo about it, he replied: "He is a great friend of mine, and I want to help him." 

"I think this ability to be inclusive as an 11- or 12-year-old boy was extraordinary. … It was a natural gift of his," Ceroni said. 

"My strongest memory of Carlo is of a cheerful, lively boy. He was a typical boy his age, with a great zest for life and many dreams," she said. 

After graduating from the Tommaseo Institute, Carlo entered the Jesuit-run Leo XIII Institute in Milan. There, his faith stood out even more. "Carlo used to go to the chapel in the morning before entering the classroom and during breaks and would stop to pray. Nobody else did that," said Father Roberto Gazzaniga, the school's chaplain.

Classmates who testified in Carlo's cause for canonization described him as respectful but unafraid to voice his convictions — on the Eucharist, baptism, pro-life issues, and the teachings of the Church. He also helped peers with homework, especially when computers were involved.

Carlo "never concealed his choice of faith," Gazzaniga said. "Even in conversations and discussions with his classmates, he was respectful of the positions of others but without renouncing the clear vision of the principles that inspired his Christian life."

The chaplain described Carlo as having had a "a transparent and joyous interior life that united love for God and people in a joyful and true harmony."

"One could point to him and say: Here is a happy and authentic young man and Christian," he said. 

Unlike many at the private Jesuit school, Carlo paid little attention to what was trendy or popular. When his mother bought him new sneakers, he asked her to return them so they could give the money to the poor instead.

Acutis also asked a cloistered religious order to join him in praying for his high school classmates who partied in clubs and used drugs and spoke to his friends about the importance of chastity.

Carlo's high school years were cut short when he was diagnosed with leukemia at age 15. He died in October 2006, just as his second year of studies was beginning, offering up his suffering from cancer for the pope and the good of the Catholic Church.

Sister Monica remembered vividly the last time she saw him a few weeks before he died. "We met right in front of the parish church," she said. "We were going in and he was coming out of the church … He was happy to be back at school. He said he wanted to focus on computer science. I will always remember him this way."

She returned to the parish for Carlo's funeral not long after. "Carlo's funeral ceremony was extraordinary. There were a lot of people, also poor people," Ceroni said.

Today, both Sister Monica and Sister Miranda tell Carlo's story to inspire their young students in the same classrooms where he once studied. "Carlo is presented as a child who was a friend of Jesus and found joy, because Christianity is joy," Moltedo said. 

Veronica Giacometti from ACI Stampa, CNA's Italian-language news partner, contributed to this report.

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ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 15:03 pm (CNA).

The patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Valério, offered his prayers for the dead and injured in an accident involving the Elevador da Glória, an iconic funicular train that crashed at high speed into a building on Sept. 3.

A statement posted on the patriarchate's website said the patriarch received "with profound sorrow and sadness" the news of the accident, which left 17 dead and at least 23 injured in the Portuguese city. The crash of the funicular, a type of railway operated by cables and designed for steep slopes, occurred around 6:05 p.m. local time.

"At this difficult time Bishop Rui Valério lifts up his prayers to God for the victims and expresses his closeness to their families during this time of separation and profound grief," read the statement in which the patriarch also wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The patriarch also expressed his gratitude and solidarity with those who mobilized to help the victims, including emergency teams, health care professionals, civil authorities, and volunteers.

The patriarchate also announced that Valério was scheduled to offer a Mass for the victims of the accident at St. Dominic Church in Rossio on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. local time. All faithful in the Portuguese capital were invited to attend.

According to the BBC, the cause of the accident is still unknown, nor is it clear how many people were on board the funicular, a tourist attraction inaugurated in 1885 and electrified 30 years later.

A witness told Portuguese television station SIC that just before the accident, the Elevador da Glória was descending "at full speed" down a steep street before violently colliding with a building.

"It crashed with brutal force and collapsed like a cardboard box; it had no brakes," a woman told SIC. 

Carlos Moedas, mayor of Lisbon, stated on X that the city council has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the accident and offered his "sincere condolences to all the families and friends of the victims. Lisbon is in mourning."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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CNA Staff, Sep 4, 2025 / 10:19 am (CNA).

A man arrested with a car full of weapons after threatening a California Catholic church told the parish he was an angel of death meant to "do the Lord's reaping," according to authorities. 

Police arrested Joshua Michael Richardson on Aug. 28 after he allegedly made criminal threats against St. Michael's Abbey, located in Silverado, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles in the Santa Ana Mountains. 

Richardson, an Alabama resident, had a cache of weapons in his car, including knives, brass knuckles, and a sword, police said. He was also reportedly in possession of several gun magazines. 

On Sept. 3 the Orange County District Attorney's office said in a press release that prior to driving from Alabama to the California abbey, Richardson sent an email "threatening to 'do the Lord's reaping'" at the church. 

The suspect also reportedly claimed to be the "rider of the pale horse," an apparent reference to Revelation 6:8, which refers to the personification of death among the apocalyptic Four Horsemen.

Richardson further "claimed to be Michael the angel of death" and "explained that he chose St. Michael's Abbey as it is one of the few churches in the nation that still practices Michaelmas," according to the district attorney's office. 

The prosecutor's office said Richardson traveled to the abbey and on Aug. 26 attended Mass there. After Mass he allegedly "follow[ed] the priest into a private area of the church" and made further cryptic and threatening remarks. 

The suspect was arrested two days later and was charged with multiple crimes, including threats, felony possession of brass knuckles, and felony possession of a dagger. 

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the press release that churches "represent the most sacred places of worship and of peace." 

"No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgment and determine who lives and who dies," he said. 

Richardson's Aug. 28 arrest came exactly one day after the deadly mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school that claimed the lives of two children and injured approximately 20 more children and adults.

The perpetrator of that crime, 23-year-old Robin Westman, born Robert Westman, indicated prior to the killing and his suicide that he was suffering from mental health issues, which he claimed in a manifesto had been exacerbated by marijuana and his struggles with his "gender identity."

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 3, 2025 / 18:39 pm (CNA).

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited Minneapolis, Minnesota on Wednesday to meet with victims and families of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting that occurred last week. 

The Vances visited the church sanctuary, which is the site of the shooting that claimed the lives of two children and left more than 20 wounded. The pair stopped outside the church to observe the memorial and leave bouquets of flowers.

A spokesperson for the vice president said Vance held a private meeting with the parents of the two children who were killed, Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel. Mike and Jackie Moyski and Jesse and Mollie Merkel met with Vance, Father Denis Zehren of Annunciation Catholic Church, and Matt DeBoer, the principal of Annunciation Catholic School. 

The Vances also traveled to Children's Minnesota Hospital to visit with some of the victims who are still in recovery, including Lydia Kaiser. Vance later spoke on the phone with Weston Halsne, another victim recovering from surgery who was not yet well enough to be visited in person when Vance was there. 

'I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did'

"We should talk more about these kids. We should talk less about the shooter," Vance said to reporters at the airport following the visit. "I have never had a day that will stay with me like this day did." 

When asked about Gov. Walz's call for a special legislative session to consider new gun laws, the Vice President said: "I'm not going to tell the Minnesota lawmakers or the governor exactly how they should respond to this tragedy. I think that…there's a strong desire from across the political spectrum to do something so that these shootings are less common."

"I think that it's important that they actually take steps that are favorable, that are going to work. But besides that, I'm not an expert in Minnesota law," Vance said. "I would just say, 'take the concerns of these parents seriously.' I think all of us, Democrat, Republican and independent, want these school shootings to happen less frequently. Hopefully there's some steps that we can take to make that happen." 

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CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 07:15 am (CNA).

St. Gregory the Great, a central figure of the medieval western Church and one of the most admired popes in history, is commemorated in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Catholic liturgy. He was the first of the bishops of Rome to popularize the now-traditional papal title "servant of the servants of God," which referred to Christ's command that those in the highest position of leadership should be "the last of all and the servant of all."

Born near the middle of the sixth century into a noble Roman family, the future St. Gregory the Great received a classical education in liberal arts and the law. He also had strong religious formation from his devout family, particularly from his mother, Silvia, also a canonized saint.

By around age 30, Gregory had advanced to high political office in Rome, during what was nevertheless a period of marked decline for the city.

Some time after becoming the prefect of the former imperial capital, Gregory chose to leave the civil administration to become a monk during the rise of the Benedictine order. In reality, however, the new monk's great career in public life was yet to come.

After three years of strict monastic life, he was called personally by the pope to assume the office of a deacon in Rome. From Rome, he was dispatched to Constantinople, to seek aid from the emperor for Rome's civic troubles, and to aid in resolving the Eastern church's theological controversies. He returned to Rome in 586, after six years of service as the papal representative to the eastern Church and empire.

Rome faced a series of disasters caused by flooding in 589, followed by the death of Pope Pelagius II the next year. Gregory, then serving as abbot in a monastery, reluctantly accepted his election to replace him as the Bishop of Rome.

Despite this initial reluctance, however, Pope Gregory began working tirelessly to reform and solidify the Roman liturgy, the disciplines of the Church, the military and economic security of Rome, and the Church's spreading influence in western Europe.

As pope, Gregory brought his political experience in Rome and Constantinople to bear, in the task of preventing the Catholic Church from becoming subservient to any of the various groups struggling for control of the former imperial capital. As the former abbot of a monastery, he strongly supported the Benedictine movement as a bedrock of the western Church. He sent missionaries to England, and is given much of the credit for the nation's conversion.

Even as he undertook to consolidate papal power and shore up the crumbling Roman west, St. Gregory the Great maintained a humble sense of his mission as a servant and pastor of souls, from the time of his election until his death in 604.

This article was first published on Aug. 19, 2010, and has been updated.

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Vatican City, Sep 3, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday pleaded for international assistance for the North African country of Sudan, which is experiencing violence, famine, natural disasters, and disease.

"I am closer than ever to the Sudanese population, in particular families, children and the displaced," Leo said at the end of his general audience at the Vatican Sept. 3.

"I pray for all the victims," the pontiff added. "I make a heartfelt appeal to leaders and to the international community to guarantee humanitarian corridors and implement a coordinated response to stop this humanitarian catastrophe."

The dramatic situation in Sudan, marked by months of armed clashes, mass displacement, and the threat of cholera, has prompted multiple warnings from humanitarian organizations.

In his appeal, Leo drew attention to the civilians trapped in the city of El Fasher, where they are experiencing famine and violence, and to a deadly landslide in Tarsin, which it is believed killed up to 1,000 people, with others still missing.

"And, as if that were not enough," the pontiff added, "the spread of cholera is threatening hundreds of thousands of already stricken people."

"It is time to initiate a serious, sincere and inclusive dialogue between the parties to end the conflict and restore hope, dignity and peace to the people of Sudan," Leo urged.

After three weeks indoors, the pope's public audience returned to St. Peter's Square on Wednesday following a dip in Rome's soaring August temperatures.

'No-one can save themselves'

In his spiritual message at the audience, Leo reflected on Jesus' final moments on the cross as narrated in the Gospel of John, where the crucified Christ utters the phrase: "I thirst."

The pope said the thirst of the Crucified One is not only the physiological need of a tortured body, but above all, the expression of a profound desire for love, relationship, and communion. 

His cry, Leo XIV asserted, is that of a God "who is not ashamed to beg for a sip, because in that gesture he tells us that love, in order to be true, must also learn to ask and not only to give."

The pontiff then stated that "Jesus does not save with a dramatic twist, but by asking for something that he cannot give himself." 

This, according to the Holy Father, opens a door to true hope: "If even the Son of God chose not to be self-sufficient, then our thirst too — for love, for meaning, for justice — is a sign not of failure, but of truth."

"Jesus' thirst on the cross is therefore ours too," he added. "It is the cry of a wounded humanity that seeks living water. And this thirst does not lead us away from God, but rather unites us with him. If we have the courage to acknowledge it, we can discover that even our fragility is a bridge towards heaven."

Thus, the pope said, on the cross, Jesus teaches us that human beings are not realized "in power, but in trustful openness to others, even when they are hostile and enemies."

It is precisely through the acceptance of fragility that we achieve salvation, he emphasized, which "is not found in autonomy, but in humbly recognizing one's own need and in being able to express it freely."

"None of us can be self-sufficient. No-one can save themselves. Life is 'fulfilled' not when we are strong, but when we learn how to receive," Leo said.

A difficult truth

"We live in a time that rewards self-sufficiency, efficiency, performance," he said. "And yet the Gospel shows us that the measure of our humanity is not given by what we can achieve, but by our ability to let ourselves be loved and, when necessary, even helped."

Leo XIV invited the faithful to rediscover the simple joy that is born of fraternity and free gift of self. He emphasized that in everyday gestures, such as "asking without shame" and "offering without ulterior motives," lies a profound happiness, distinct from that which the world proposes.

"It is a joy that restores us to the original truth of our being: we are creatures made to give and receive love," the pontiff affirmed.

He encouraged those listening to not be afraid or ashamed to reach out, even when they feel undeserving. "It is right there, in that humble gesture, that salvation hides," he concluded.

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CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 08:55 am (CNA).

Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda said this week that Catholics and others in the Twin Cities are revealing "signs of God's great love" in the week following the deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church. 

"I get the idea that people are very much turning to the Lord at this time and there's just been a real outpouring of love," the archbishop said on "EWTN News Nightly" on Sept. 2. 

Hebda told EWTN News President Montse Alvarado that there has been "no shortage of volunteers" in the days since the shooting, which claimed the lives of eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski while injuring approximately 20 others.  

"Counselors are coming forward," the archbishop said. "Those who are able to help their parents and families in all different ways are stepping forward to really show what happens when a church community is impacted."

Hebda said he was gratified after Pope Leo XIV spoke directly about the shooting and called for an end to the "pandemic of arms" that brings about such violence. 

The Holy Father's prayers were particularly poignant, the archbishop said, given that Leo himself is a native of the Midwest. 

"[It was] huge … especially to be able to hear those words in English and in a Midwestern accent," he said. 

"The victims of the shooting were taken to two different hospitals in Minneapolis," Hebda said. "And one of them is adjacent to the very hospital where Pope Leo had done his [clinical pastoral education] when he was a seminarian." 

"So I know he knows the spot, he knows Minneapolis, and we're really counting on him continuing those prayers," the prelate said. 

Stricken church will be reconsecrated

Annunciation Church will have to be reconsecrated after the shooting, an act that Hebda described as "reclaim[ing] that territory for the Lord."

"I know it's going to take a long time for some of the faithful to be able to go back into that building that was the site of such devastation," he told Alvarado. "But we're hoping that as time continues to heal and as those prayers continue … that we will get to that point where that church will once again be a hub of activity."

The archbishop also touched briefly on the recently renewed debate over the effectiveness of prayer in the wake of tragedies. Some figures in the media and even politicians over the past week have derided prayer and dismissed its role in addressing suffering and societal ills.

In contrast, Hebda said he has heard numerous stories about how students at Annunciation Catholic School have "turned to prayer" after the shooting. 

"I was with one young woman, and she was talking about holding the hand of the other young girl who was in the ambulance with her, and how they prayed [the Our Father] fervently," he said.

The archbishop said he also heard of a young man who was injured in the shooting and who "asked the doctor to pray with him before the operation."

"It's interesting at a time when prayer is being debated, that's what it seems like people are appreciating the most," Hebda said.

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Rome Newsroom, Sep 3, 2025 / 04:05 am (CNA).

Children from a Catholic parish in Sydney, Australia, put together an original play about the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis that has inspired Eucharistic devotion among the kids and families in the community.  

Father Epeli Qimaqima, parish priest of St. Joachim Parish, told CNA that the play sparked lasting spiritual transformation and "brought the parish together in more ways than one." 

"It was not writing a play for the sake of having a play," Qimaqima said. "But I had been pondering as parish priest how we can catechize the family in this day and age." 

The play, "Highway to Heaven," was performed Oct. 12, 2024, the feast day of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Written and directed by Anna Harrison of Sydney Catholic Youth, it featured children ages 7 to 15 dramatizing the life of the Italian teenager known for his love of the Eucharist and his computer skills. 

"My initial idea was to have the play of the story of Fatima," Qimaqima said. "But the children … in the parish kept on asking me about Carlo Acutis. … They felt so familiar with him because of his age, and they knew everything about him." 

The children said they connected with Acutis because he was "so like them in every way," enjoying soccer, swimming, and video games. But what struck them most was his devotion to the Eucharist.  

"Because of our Adoration Chapel, I think they could see a link," Qimaqima said. 

The production engaged children in every aspect — from acting and set changes to managing props. And the impact went far beyond the performance. 

In the months following the play, Qimaqima noticed children and their parents spending time in the parish's perpetual adoration chapel. 

"They've grown together learning about Carlo Acutis and his life," he said. 

One young participant now stops to pray in the chapel on his way home from school. Parents also began attending weekday Masses and meeting each other outside of church.? 

"I hear that they are meeting outside of the parish to have coffee, talk about what they're going through," Qimaqima said. "I think some of the parents grew to really discover new things about their own children during the rehearsals. Because many of them told me, 'I never knew my child could do this.'" 

Qimaqima, a former primary school teacher from Fiji, said the initiative was born from his desire to reach families.?? 

"I went back to the Gospels and I rediscovered that our Lord's way of teaching was through storytelling, the parables," he said. "And so I thought maybe we could use theater as a way of storytelling to catechize the family, and children and their parents, through the dramatization of the lives of the saints." 

The day of the play included a parish-wide celebration, Mass, and a barbecue.  

"We had a big day here for the children finishing with Mass at the end of the day and then a barbecue and ice cream, lots of ice cream," Qimaqima said. "It was a lot of fun for the adults to see children so happy." 

Pilgrimage to Rome takes unexpected turn 

Fourteen children and their parents later joined Qimaqima and other parishioners on a pilgrimage to Italy for Acutis' canonization Mass, originally scheduled for April.  

The group had just set foot in St. Peter's Square when they learned Pope Francis had died and the canonization was postponed. 

"We didn't believe it," said 13-year-old Christopher La Rosa, who portrayed Acutis in the play. "We had to wait until the death bell had rung and then we believed it." 

Instead of a canonization, the group attended the pope's funeral. 

"I've never been to that many funerals before, but to go to a pope's funeral, it was very, very crowded but it was crazy because I actually got to see the pope and his body. It was very, very cool," 9-year-old Francesca Manu told CNA in Rome.  

Thirteen-year-old Sophie Tawadros added, "I'm really grateful that we got the opportunity to go to the pope's funeral and really say goodbye because he has been the pope for as long as I have been alive, I think, and he is the only pope that I have ever known." 

The change of plans made our pilgrimage experience a much deeper encounter with God," Qimaqima said. 

Prayers at Carlo's tomb 

The group also visited Assisi to pray at Acutis' tomb. 

"I always wanted to see his body because he is one of our family's favorite saints," 11-year-old Antonia Mallet said. 

"He has taught us that [the Eucharist] is actually Jesus' body, not just a piece of plain bread, that it actually does turn into Jesus' body," she added. 

Acutis "really inspires me how to offer up suffering for the pope's intentions and for all of the holy souls in purgatory," Mallet said. 

La Rosa said that at Acutis' tomb, he asked the young Blessed to intercede "to bring me closer to God and to protect me from all worldly distractions and to focus on heavenly ones." 

"He has inspired me to share the Gospel with more people," he added. 

Now back in Australia, the parish plans to tune into a livestream of the canonization on Sunday, Sept. 7, and has invited the wider community to join the celebration. 

Last week, St. Joachim's hosted 780 children from 11 Catholic schools for a special jubilee celebration in honor of Acutis. The students walked nearly 30 minutes in pilgrimage from a nearby park to the church, where they joined a concert. 

The cast is now rehearsing "Highway to Heaven "again for two October performances, marking Acutis' first feast day as a canonized saint. 

Qimaqima said the ripple effects are visible throughout the community. "They're telling their friends in school about what they're doing at church. … so they bring their friends from school. They bring their parents along with them to come to church," he said. 

Lasting friendships have also formed among the children, many of whom attend different schools. 

"They leave the phone aside … They're sitting in a circle, laughing, telling stories," Qimaqima said. "It's marvelous to see what the Lord is doing in the lives of the people that I'm called to serve in this parish." 

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CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2025 / 04:30 am (CNA).

It's official! On Sept. 7, Pope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis together with Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati as the first new saints of his pontificate. A gamer and computer coder who loved the Eucharist, Carlo Acutis will be the first millennial Catholic saint.

So who is Blessed Carlo? Here's what you need to know:

1. He was born in London in 1991

   Carlo Acutis was born May 3, 1991, in London, where his father was working. Just a few months later, he moved with his parents, Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, to Milan, Italy.

2. He was diagnosed with leukemia

   Carlo was diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager. Before his death in 2006, he offered his sufferings for Pope Benedict XVI and for the Church, saying: "I offer all of my suffering to the Lord for the pope and for the Church in order not to go to purgatory but to go straight to heaven."

3. Carlo loved God and the Eucharist from a young age

   From a young age, Carlo had a special love for God, even though his parents weren't especially devout. Antonia Salzano, his mom, said that before Carlo, she went to Mass only for her First Communion, her confirmation, and her wedding.

   As a young child, Carlo loved to pray the rosary. After he made his First Communion, he went to Mass as often as possible at the parish across from his elementary school. Carlo's love for the Eucharist also inspired a deep conversion for his mother. According to the postulator promoting his cause for sainthood, he "managed to drag his relatives, his parents to Mass every day. It was not the other way around; it was not his parents bringing the little boy to Mass, but it was he who managed to get himself to Mass and to convince others to receive Communion daily." 

   Salzano spoke to "EWTN News Nightly" in October 2023 about her son's devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. She said: "He used to say, 'There are queues in front of a concert, in front of a football match, but I don't see these queues in front of the Blessed Sacrament' ... So, for him the Eucharist was the center of his life."

4. His witness of faith led to conversions

   Carlo's witness of faith as a child led adults to convert and be baptized. Rajesh Mohur, who worked for the Acutis family as an au pair when Carlo was young, converted from Hinduism to Catholicism because of Carlo's witness. Carlo taught Mohur how to pray the rosary and told him about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Mohur said that one of the things that most impressed him as a non-Christian was the witness of Carlo's love and concern for the poor — how he interacted with the homeless man who would sit at the entrance of the church and would bring Tupperware dishes filled with food out to people living on the streets.

5. He defended Church teaching

   Carlo was not afraid to defend Church teaching, even in situations when his classmates disagreed with him. Many of Carlo's high school classmates remember Carlo giving a passionate defense for the protection of life from the moment of conception when there was a classroom debate about abortion. 

6. He stood up for the vulnerable

   Carlo was a faithful friend. He was known for standing up for kids at school who got bullied, especially kids with disabilities. When a friend's parents were getting a divorce, Carlo made a special effort to include his friend in the Acutis' family life. With his friends, he spoke about the importance of going to Mass and confession, human dignity, and chastity.

7. Carlo was a computer whiz

   Carlo was fascinated with computer coding and taught himself some of the basic coding languages, including C and C++. He used his computer skills and internet savvy to help his family put together an exhibition on Eucharistic miracles that has gone on to be displayed at thousands of parishes on five continents. His spiritual director has attested that Carlo was personally convinced that the scientific evidence from Eucharistic miracles would help people to realize that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and come back to Mass.

8. He balanced fun with faith

   Carlo loved playing video games. His mother recalls that he liked the Nintendo Game Boy and GameCube as well as PlayStation and Xbox. He had conversations with his gaming buddies about the importance of going to Mass and confession and limited his video game playing to no more than two hours per week. Carlo also liked Spider-Man and Pokémon.

9. Carlo died in 2006 and was beatified in 2020

   Carlo died on Oct. 12, 2006, and was buried in Assisi. Initially, there were reports that Carlo's body was found to be incorrupt, but the bishop of Assisi clarified before his beatification that his body was not incorrupt. His body lies in repose in a glass tomb in Assisi where he can be seen in jeans and a pair of Nike sneakers. Thousands came to pray at his tomb at the time of his beatification in October 2020.

   ??VIDEO | Highlights of the Beatification Mass of Carlo Acutis celebrated in Assisi, Italy. His parents and siblings attended the ceremony. His heart was presented as a relic. Blessed #CarloAcutis, pray for us! pic.twitter.com/GcZog96vyZ

   — EWTN News (@EWTNews) October 10, 2020

10. The miracles attributed to Carlo's intercession

    Pope Francis recognized a second miracle attributed to Carlo's intercession in a decree on May 23, 2024. The miracle involved the healing of a 21-year-old girl from Costa Rica named Valeria Valverde, who was near death after seriously injuring her head in a bicycle accident while studying in Florence in 2022. The first miracle that led to his beatification involved the healing of a three-year-old boy in Brazil in 2013 who had been diagnosed with a malformation of his pancreas since birth.

11. His tomb has become a pilgrimage site

    Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world have visited Carlo's tomb since his canonization was announced. His remains rest in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore at the Sanctuary of Spogliazione (or of the Stripping) in Assisi, the home of St. Francis and St. Clare.

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12. How to watch his canonization

    The canonization of Carlo Acutis, along with Pier Giorgio Frassati, will air live on EWTN at 3 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 7 and the encore presentation will be at 3 p.m. ET on the same day. Pope Leo XIV will preside over the Mass and canonizations of the two young Blesseds from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

This article was originally published Oct. 20, 2020, and was updated Sept. 2, 2025.

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Madrid, Spain, Sep 3, 2025 / 05:15 am (CNA).

The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience (OLRC by its Spanish acronym) in Spain decried that it was "a black August" with seven cases of vandalism and desecration against Catholic churches reported in recent weeks.

On Aug. 11, black paint was spilled on a set of  steps at St. Catherine parish in the town of Rute in Cordoba province, just days before the patron saint's feast day.

The following day, the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Martin parish in Valencia was desecrated when a person who identifies as "trans" burst in the chapel shouting in front of the altar and then "broke the monstrance, while insulting the faithful," according to the OLRC.

On Aug 13, Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Palma de Mallorca was desecrated with offensive graffiti accusing the Catholic Church of corruption.

A day later, a sacristan and several parishioners were attacked in the Valencia cathedral by an apparently intoxicated man during the celebration of the Eucharist.

On Aug. 17, a man broke into St. James the Apostle parish in Albuñol in Granada province, where he attacked several statues before starting a fire that took firefighters two hours to extinguish.

On Aug. 24, the Assumption of Our Lady in Yeles in Toledo province was vandalized by a woman apparently suffering from psychiatric problems who attacked several statues such as the Child of Remedies and the Virgin of Solitude, causing extensive damage.

Last Sunday, Aug. 31, two activists from the environmental group Futuro Vegetal (Plant Future) threw dye at the façade of the Sagrada Familia Basilica  in Barcelona in an attempt to protest the large number of forest fires in Spain in recent weeks that the group blamed on ranching activities.

For the OLRC, these events "confirm the rise of Christianophobia and the vulnerability of religious freedom in our country" and warned against such events becoming normalized.

The organization's president, María García, demanded "a firm response" from the authorities "and resources for the protection of the religious heritage" of the country.

"August has been a dark month for religious freedom in our country. The succession of attacks on churches and places of worship demonstrates that violence and hatred against Christians are far from isolated cases," García pointed out in a statement, emphasizing that "according to data from the Reports on Attacks on Religious Freedom in Spain, Christians are always the most attacked religion."

Greater protection for churches

The OLRC warned that many parish priests are reporting that they are "having to install cameras or close churches due to the increase in vandalism and anti-Christian hatred" and called on the authorities "for greater protection for churches."

"These events represent a worrying trend of religious intolerance. We demand that agencies of the central government and municipalities develop specific prevention plans against attacks on churches and rigorous application of the penal code against hate crimes and crimes that deride religious sentiments," García emphasized.

The Observatory for Religious Freedom urged civil society and institutions not to look the other way and to report any act of religious hatred. "Only by bringing these attacks out in the open and reacting firmly can we guarantee coexistence and respect for the freedom of all," García emphasized.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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