Canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis

Born in London on 3 May 1991 and died in Monza on 12 October 2006, Carlo lived a life marked by a clear and ardent faith, placing the Gospel at the centre of his daily life and becoming an instrument of evangelisation even in the digital world. With extraordinary intuition, he was able to combine modernity and spirituality, using new technologies to spread the Christian message. In particular, his passion for computer science led him to create a website on Eucharistic miracles, through which he conveyed his deep devotion to the Eucharist, the source and summit of his spiritual life. In his encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, Carlo found the strength to live constantly in the presence of the Lord and to mature, with heroic virtue, the fortitude that enabled him to go against the tide, reject false idols and put God first in his life. His famous expressions remain: “Not I, but God”; “Not self-love, but the glory of God”; “Sadness is looking at oneself, happiness is looking at God”. The witness of Carlo Acutis reminds us that holiness is not the privilege of a few, but a universal call, accessible to anyone who lives their faith authentically. The stamp reproduces the most widely known image of Blessed Carlo Acutis, portrayed during a trip to Mount Subasio, a place dear to him because of its connection to Franciscan memory. In the design chosen for the stamp, the head of the future saint is surrounded by a soft halo (of the so-called “nimbus” type).