Carlo Acutis will be canonized

To become a saint, he needed a second miracle. Carlo Acutis, a young Italian keen on computers who died prematurely at the age of 15, was beatified in 2020. The miraculous healing of a dying child in Brazil was attributed to him. This Tuesday, May 23, the Vatican announced, in a decree, the recognition of a second miracle: the sudden and inexplicable healing of Valeria, a young Costa Rican, in 2022.

A miraculous cure

The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints reports that, on July 2, 2022, around 4 a.m., the young woman had a violent fall from her bicycle in Florence (Italy). Valeria thus suffered from “very serious head trauma”. Taken to hospital, the 19-year-old woman underwent emergency surgery for the first time. “The situation immediately appeared very critical and family members were warned that the young girl could die at any moment,” explains the dicastery. Her mother immediately began to pray to Blessed Carlo Acutis asking to intercede for Valeria's healing. And on July 8, she went on pilgrimage to Assisi to pray at the glass tomb of the blessed whose body is exposed. The same day, it was a miracle!, “Valeria resumed spontaneous breathing and the following day, the doctors noted the resumption of motor skills in her upper limbs, quotes the dicastery, and the partial resumption of speech”. On July 18, Valeria was transferred from the intensive care unit to another ward. On August 11, the miracle girl underwent rehabilitation therapy for “one week after a rapid and effective recovery”. Faced with her complete recovery, the Costa Rican went with her mother on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Carlo Acutis in Assisi, “as a sign of thanksgiving”.

A canonization to come

The date of his canonization will be announced shortly during a consistory. The Church also opens the door to the canonization of the Italian priest Giuseppe Allamano (1851-1926) and to three beatifications. It recognizes as venerable an Italian priest and two lay people – Spanish and Italian.