With his beatification, the Catholic Church has now its first “Blessed” who had loved Super Mario and Pokémon, but not as much as he loved the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The young Italian computer whiz, who died of leukemia at 15 offering his suffering for the Pope and the Church, was beatified on Oct. 10 in a Mass at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
“Carlo was an ordinary boy, simple, spontaneous, likable … he loved nature and animals, he played football, he had many friends of his age, he was attracted by modern means of social communication, passionate about computer science and, self-taught, he built websites to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty… A model of how young people can use technology at the service of the Gospel to “reach as many people as possible and help them know the beauty of friendship with the Lord.” – Cardinal Agostino Vallini, in Assisi.
Let us pray for today’s youth:
O God, who have sent the power of the Gospel
like leaven into the world,
grant that the youth of today
whom you have called to live amid the world and its affairs,
may be fervent with the Christian spirit
and, through the tasks they carry out in this present age,
may constantly build up your Kingdom with enthusiasm and joy.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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