More than two hours before the start of Mass, St. Peter's was packed. Banners of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgo Frassati and flags from various countries waved throughout the square.
Relatives of the now saints began to arrive, as did various delegations, like even the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.
Just 15 minutes before the start of the celebration, unexpectedly, without warning, Pope Leo XIV appeared to greet the young people.
POPE LEO XIV
I wanted to say hello and a word to all of you, because while this celebration is very solemn, it's also a day of great joy. And I especially wanted to greet the many young people who have come for this Holy Mass.
During Mass, the Prefect for the Causes of Saints approached the altar, accompanied by the postulators of both causes, and read their biographies.
CARD. MARCELLO SEMERARO
Prefecto, Dicasterio para las Causas de los Santos
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. Born in Turin on April 6, 1901, he died at the age of 24 on July 4, 1925.
Blessed Carlo Acutis. Born in London on May 3, 1991, he died in the Archdiocese of Milan on October 12, 2006. His mortal remains are currently venerated in Assisi at the Shrine of the Expoliation of Saint Francis.
And the time came. Pope Leo XIV, for the first time as pope, pronounced the Latin formula canonizing his first two saints: Frassati and Acutis.
POPE LEO XIV
We decree and define Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis to be Saints and we add them to the Catalogue of Saints, establishing that they should be remembered with pious devotion among the Saints in the universal Church.
And, look here, because she is the mother of Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint. She is one of the few women who have been able to witness such a moment in life.
Carlo's entire family was there. Also present were his two siblings, who are twins: Francesca and Michele, 15. They were born in 2010, four years after Acutis's death. His brother read the first reading in English.
In his homily, the Pope did not miss the opportunity to show the young people the testimony of the two new saints as an example to follow.
POPE LEO XIV
Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to waste our lives, but to direct them upward and make them a masterpiece. They encourage us with their words: "Not I, but God," said Carlo. And Pier Giorgio: "If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end." This is the simple but sure formula of their holiness.
In the petitions, one of them was entrusted to this young woman. She is Valeria Vargas, the Costa Rican whose life was saved by Acutis's renowned miracle. And, during the offerings, Acutis's entire family carried them.
Once the Mass was over, as the Pope announced at the beginning, he would pass by in the popemobile to greet them. More than 80,000 people saw Acutis and Frassati become saints this day.
CA
TR: GS
