Carlo Acutis Relic Stolen in Venezuela
The relic of Carlo Acutis, the first Millennial (born in the 1980s to early-to-mid 1990s) to be designated a saint in the history of the Catholic Church, was stolen just two days after his canonization.
According to ABC News on the 13th (local time), the "Saint Carlo Acutis Youth Group" reported that on the 9th, staff at the Santo Domingo de Guzman Church in Cardenal Quintero, Merida State, Venezuela, discovered the relic was missing. This occurred just two days after Pope Leo XIV canonized Acutis.
On the 7th (local time) at the Vatican, Carlo Acutis during the canonization mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV. He passed away at the age of 15 nine years ago and the Catholic Church approved two miracles attributed to him. Photo by EWTN, an American Catholic broadcaster.
The stolen relic is a "third-class relic," meaning an item touched by the saint. It is a small, round piece of cloth that was kept in a glass case. Local police are investigating the circumstances surrounding its disappearance.
Adrian Garcia of the youth group said, "So far, we have no information and have still not found it," adding, "We have faith in God that it will be recovered. Its spiritual value is immense."
Previously, Pope Leo XIV canonized Acutis, an Italian boy who was born in London, United Kingdom, in 1991 and died at the young age of 15 from acute leukemia in 2006. Acutis was dedicated to spreading faith online and was called "God's influencer."
Self-taught in computer programming from a young age, Acutis created a website compiling over 100 Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Catholic Church over the centuries. Through this online evangelization, he became known as "God's influencer."
On the 7th (local time) at the Vatican, Carlo Acutis during the canonization mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV. He passed away at the age of 15 nine years ago and the Catholic Church approved two miracles attributed to him. Screenshot from the American Catholic broadcaster EWTN.
After moving from London to Milan, Italy, he attended Mass daily and practiced love and mercy by bringing food and sleeping bags to bullied children and homeless people.
In 2013, a child suffering from a pancreatic illness was reportedly cured after coming into contact with Acutis's T-shirt and praying, an event recognized as a miracle that led to his beatification in 2020.
In 2022, the second miracle was recognized when the mother of a woman in her twenties, who had fallen into critical condition after emergency brain surgery in Florence, Italy, visited Acutis's tomb and prayed, after which her daughter made a rapid recovery. Nearly one million pilgrims visited Acutis's tomb last year alone.
Almost one million pilgrims visited Acutis's tomb in Assisi, Italy, last year alone. In the past, Acutis's relics have been sold online, drawing criticism from the Church.
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