A teenager known as "God's influencer" who loved videogames and spread the gospel online has been canonised as a saint. Carlos Acutis died in 2006 at 15 years of age from leukaemia, but dedicated his short life to spreading awareness of the Catholic faith and helping the poor.
Acutis was canonised in an ancient ritual led by Pope Leo, who himself has a good shout to be the first gaming Pope. The teenager's path to sainthood has been remarkably short: the campaign to have him canonised began six years after his death in 2012; he was decreed "Venerable" in 2018, "Blessed" in 2020, and now the Pope has formally declared Acutis a saint in St Peter's Square in Vatican City.
