Millennial saint Carlo Acutis has a surprising connection to two other saints within the Catholic church – and family ties to a pioneering Italian mathematician.
British-born Carlo was to be canonised on September 7 after the Vatican recognised him as having performed two miracles since his death in 2006.
Ahead of the ceremony in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Acutis’ mother told The Times of her son’s connections through history on both sides of the family.
Antonia Salzano Acutis, 58, said that, on her side, her son was related to Giulia Salzano and Caterina Volpicelli, both saints giving the family a place in the church.
On his father’s side, computer whiz Carlo was related to Paolo Ruffini, an 18th century Italian mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of algebra.
Carlo, who died from leukaemia aged 15, became known as ‘God’s influencer’ after his death, remembered as an ardent follower of Christ who used his digital fluency to document miracles and help maintain faith-based websites.
‘We have saintly roots and mathematical roots, and the result was Carlo,’ his mother explained to the Times.
The remains of Blessed Carlo Acutis lay in his tomb in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore on March 18, 2025 in Assisi, Italy
Carlo’s nannies claim he was inspired in part by St Francis of Assisi, who was born in the same town Carlo was laid to rest
Pilgrims pray and pay their respects at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore on March 18, 2025 in Assisi
Giulia Salzano, a relation on Carlo’s maternal grandfather’s side, founded the Catechetical Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus near Naples before she died in 1929. She was canonised and became a saint in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Carlo’s maternal grandmother, meanwhile, was related to Caterina Volpicelli, who founded the Maids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Naples. She was canonised in 2009.
Antonia Salzano, his mother, said her son had a ‘special relationship’ with God from an early age, even though her family was not particularly devout.
Despite her saintly connections, she had only ever been to mass three times before Carlo began dragging her to church at the age of three and a half.
Carlo was born in London in 1991 and grew up in Milan, where he took care of his parish website and later that of a Vatican-based academy.
Carlo was a child of his time, a digital native who quickly understood how he could use the internet to help lift the word of God.
A fan of computer games, Acutis taught himself basic coding at the age of nine and used it to document miracles and other elements of the Catholic faith online.
The youngster even limited himself to one hour of video games each day so that he could devote more time to his religion. ‘Every minute wasted is one less minute to glorify God,’ his mother said previously.
He set up a website, ‘The Eucharistic Miracles of the World’, where he researched and documented miracles attributed with the Eucharist.
Ruffini, who lived from 1765 until 1822, is remembered for his contributions in algebra
Carlo’s mother Antonia Salzano (pictured) refers to her late son as her ‘savior’ as Carlo taught her more and more about his faith and credits him with her conversion into Christianity
Carlo Acutis, an Italian boy who died in 2006 of leukemia, lies in state ahead of being beatified by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, in Assisi
People visit the tomb of Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 aged 15, April 10, 2025
The website says it ‘aimed at confirming faith in the real presence of the body and blood of the Lord in the Eucharist’.
Speaking to the Times, Ms Salzano links Carlo’s logical brain to his father’s side of the family tree.
Carlo’s English-Italian father was working in the UK as a merchant banker when he his son was born.
The young saint’s paternal grandmother was born in London to English and Polish parents.
There was also an Italian link. On that side of the family, Carlo is related to Paolo Ruffini.
Ruffini, who lived from 1765 until 1822, is remembered for his contributions in algebra.
He proved that there is no such general solution for a polynomial equation of order five or higher.
During a transformative time in European politics, Ruffini also found himself appointed a representative to the Junior Council of the newly-formed Cisalpine Republic that emerged in summer 1797 in the wake of Napoleon’s early trials in Italy.
Ruffini refused to take a civil oath of allegiance to the new republic on religious grounds, and was then banned from public office and teaching.
He carried on regardless, studying in private until Napoleon’s defeat, which allowed him to return to academia.
Carlo (pictured) was a devout Christian when he was alive and attended daily mass
Souvenirs and mementos of the Blessed Carlo Acutis for sale in a shop in Assisi
The Italian teenager dubbed “God’s Influencer” for his efforts to spread the Catholic faith online will become the first Millennial saint on September 7
Domenico Sorrentino, bishop of Assisi, called on young people on Friday to follow the young Acutis’s example.
‘Today more than ever we need positive examples, exemplary life stories that can help our young people avoid following discouraging images, violent examples, and fleeting fads that leave nothing behind,’ he said in a statement published by the diocese.
Ms Salzano said her son’s gift was in seeing that ‘each person is unique and unrepeatable, originals and not photocopies, as Carlo used to say’.
The Vatican has recognised Acutis as performing two miracles since his death – a necessary step on the path to sainthood.
The first was the healing of a Brazilian child suffering from a rare pancreatic malformation, the second the recovery of a Costa Rican student seriously injured in an accident.
In both cases, relatives had prayed for help from the teenager, who was beatified in 2020 by Pope Francis.
Over 800 people will be travelling to Rome on a special train from Assisi for the canonisation of the so-called ‘cyber-apostle’, which begins at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Sunday.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .