Through a viewing glass on his tomb in Assisi, visitors can once again see Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial to be beatified in the Catholic Church, clad in jeans and tennis shoes.
On June 1, Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino removed the panel covering Acutis’ grave, allowing it to public adoration for the first time.
Many overseas pilgrims will now have the opportunity to view the young Blessed for the first time, thanks to the relaxation of Italy’s previous tourist restrictions.
Gualdo Tadino, the archbishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra, expressed his hope that all who come to worship at the tomb will “expose themselves to the light of the Gospel and have a profound experience of faith,” according to the archbishop.
Acutis’ grave lies in the Sanctuary of the Renunciation, which is part of the Church of St. Mary Major in Assisi. The sanctuary is built on the site where a youthful St. Francis of Assisi is reputed to have abandoned his opulent garb in favor of a lowly habit.
Pope Francis described the Sanctuary of the Renunciation as “a precious space where young people might be supported in the discernment of their vocations” in a letter prepared for its opening in 2017.
Blessed Carlo Acutis was an Italian young Catholic with a deep commitment to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and a knack for computing.
At the age of 15, he died of leukemia and offered his suffering to the pope and the Church.
According to the Diocese of Assisi, more over 41,000 people visited Acutis’ tomb during the diocese’s 19-day celebration of his beatification in October 2020, when it was first opened for public sight, despite stringent travel restrictions owing to the COVID-19 epidemic.
The opening of Acutis’ tomb at the time caused some confusion online as to whether the teen might have been incorrupt, which led the bishop of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino, to clarify that the boy’s body, though intact, “was found in the normal state of transformation typical of the cadaveric condition.”
Dedicated pilgrims continued to visit Acutis’ tomb, carrying their prayer intentions with them, despite the fact that the viewing glass over Acutis’ tomb had remained covered since Oct. 19, 2020.
Blessed Carlo’s “witness shows today’s young people that true happiness is achieved by putting God first and serving Him in our brothers and sisters, especially the least,” according to Pope Francis.
Blessed Carlo Acutis has been nominated as one of the patrons of the 2023 World Youth Day celebration in Lisbon, Portugal.