ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 8, 2025 /
16:46 pm
On Sunday, the area around St. Peter’s Square was filled from early in the morning with banners, singing, and prayers in many languages accompanying the first canonizations of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate.
Many of the participants were young people who see the new saints, Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, as role models who speak directly to their hearts.
A group of students from the University of Dallas Rome program waited patiently for several hours to enter St. Peter’s Square. They arrived in Rome on Sept. 5 after a 10-hour flight and, despite their fatigue, got up early to be as close as possible to Pope Leo XIV.
“Both Acutis and Frassati were pretty normal guys like us; they really enjoyed life and lived it to the fullest; they knew how to do it the right way. That’s a great example for us,” one of the students, Thomas DeReuil, commented.
For several of the young men, this is their first time in Italy. “It’s a gift to be here,” said Eugene Keating, another student, who said he was impacted by the way Acutis used technology to evangelize.
“I’m deeply inspired by how he used the internet, something so common in our lives, to talk about God,” he said.
You don’t have to be perfect to be a saint
For his part, Jonathan Tindall, another student, confessed that learning about Frassati’s life changed his perspective on holiness: “I’ve read that Frassati wasn’t a good student. In other words, you don’t have to be perfect to be a saint.”
A group of Italian religion teachers said they see Acutis and Frassati as wonderful resources for handing on the faith to their students. “They are two fundamental reference figures for handing on the Gospel to the new generations,” said Daniela Messina, a Sicilian religion teacher.
Messina emphasized how the life of Acutis particularly touches the hearts of adolescents: “This characteristic can truly help children understand the meaning of loving Jesus.”
She also emphasized the power of his witness in the digital world: “He is the saint of technology, because technology now reaches children directly and is perhaps the only effective means today to convey the message of fraternity and respect, which is so lacking today.”
Chiara Chiaradia, a primary school teacher in Calabria, also emphasized the educational dimension: “It is an instrument of our times. We must know how to use it positively, in the best possible way, to reach others, to spread the faith, to communicate beautiful things.”
Spiritual thirst of young people
Although they acknowledged the difficulties of teaching religion in today’s schools, the teachers also perceived a spiritual thirst among young people. “It’s difficult to teach today… but we’ve realized that young people have a great desire to learn; they are here not only to experience a beautiful, enjoyable, and joyful moment but because they truly believe in a need for spirituality,” Chiaradia noted.
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The canonization of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati not only opens a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church but also confirms that holiness is not the heritage of distant times.
Philipp and Jonas, two 24-year-old Germans, said they also feel this way. “It’s a unique opportunity to be close to these young saints,” Jonas said.
Like many other pilgrims present at Sunday’s canonization, they were also in Rome on April 27, the date on which Acutis was originally scheduled to be canonized. Ultimately, the death of Pope Francis forced the Holy See to choose a new date.
When Pope Leo XIV set the date for Sept. 7, joining its celebration with that of Frassati, initially planned for Aug. 3, they didn’t hesitate to set up the trip.
For these German pilgrims, the Church is right to propose role models close to youth. “It’s important to have a guide. Seeing that ordinary people like us attained holiness encourages us to follow the same path,” they commented.
Frassati, in particular, is a model of faith lived with simplicity. “His example shows that we can seek holiness in everyday life. Sometimes we think saints are at an unattainable level, but a young man like him makes us say, ‘OK, maybe he can be a role model to follow,’” Philipp added.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
As a journalist, Victoria Cardiel has specialized in social and religious news. Since 2013, she has covered the Vatican for various media outlets, including Europa Press and Alfa and Omega, the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Madrid.
