ASSISI, Italy — The Catholic Church is on the brink of canonizing its first saint from the millennial generation, Carlo Acutis. In anticipation of this event, Italian police have been called upon to investigate the alleged online sale of Acutis’ relics. Devotees have been drawn to his shrine in Italy by the thousands, as interest around Acutis intensifies. Similar to relics of saints from early Christianity — which could be remnants of their bodies or garments, typically preserved in churches — relics related to Acutis are of significant interest. However, selling them, especially under false pretenses, contravenes church rules.
“To engage in the sale of relics is far more than just improper; it is sinful,” asserted Rev. Enzo Fortunato. As the leader of the Vatican’s World Children’s Day committee, Fortunato himself holds a small fragment of Acutis’ hair, housed in a chapel for youth veneration. An online anonymous sale claimed to feature Acutis’ hair, described as authenticated, and fetched bids exceeding 2,000 euros. The auction, highlighted by the Diocese of Assisi, has now been taken down. Bishop Domenico Sorrentino requested the removal and confiscation of these relics, emphasizing the gravity of such fraudulent actions and their affront to religious beliefs.
Carlo Acutis passed away at only 15, succumbing to leukemia in 2006. Despite his young age, he had already developed a profound devotion to the Eucharist and an adeptness with technology that led him to create a virtual exhibition on eucharistic miracles. Acutis will be declared a saint at a ceremony outside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on April 27. Since the announcement, Assisi, the central Italian city where his body is preserved in a shrine, has seen nearly one million pilgrims visit.
During the canonization process, Acutis’ body was exhumed and specially treated for public exhibition. According to Sorrentino, his face was reconstructed using a silicone mask to depict him as if asleep. Acutis’ heart, meanwhile, has been enshrined in another church in Assisi but will be relocated to Rome for the canonization event.
Relics are categorized, ranging from prominent body parts to minor fragments. For instance, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops received the membrane surrounding Acutis’ heart. These relics, free of charge, are distributed for veneration purposes. “Relics symbolize a sacred touchpoint with God’s proximity,” affirmed Sorrentino.
The task of managing relics is a meticulous one for the church. “We share these relics with communities and parishes to honor and invoke faith,” Sorrentino noted. The very tradition of relic collection traces back to the martyrdoms of early Christians during religious persecutions. Witnesses would collect blood or fabric pieces as remembrances, as recounted by Fortunato.
Within the canonization journey of Acutis, his first miracle was linked to the healing of a Brazilian boy after a service involving a relic. Clergy and pilgrims visiting Acutis’ shrine now find inspiration more from his example of faith than merely the relics themselves. “I wouldn’t purchase one myself,” stated Amelia Simone, echoing a sentiment that relics, while deeply revered, seem peculiar when attributed financial value.
Two clergy members on a Holy Year pilgrimage from the Diocese of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, expressed their concern over the online sale of relics. “Such actions contradict the respect relics deserve,” noted Bishop Larry Kulick. Rev. Christopher Pujol added, “We fervently pray for a change of heart in those engaged in this activity.”
The canonization of Carlo Acutis, however, has sparked some skepticism. Critics view the church’s promotion of his sainthood as a strategy to engage younger demographics, seeing it as more commercial outreach than spiritual. Nonetheless, many, including pilgrims to Assisi, celebrate Acutis’ devotion and view him as a generational exemplar.
Juana de Dios Euceda, a missionary nun, shared her admiration and hopes that Acutis’ intercession will inspire and transform today’s youth. His life and forthcoming sainthood offer a beacon of faith, transcending both time and age.