Pope Francis has recognized a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Carlo Acutis and today signed a decree which paves the way for the teenager becoming a saint.

Acutis, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15 and has been called “the patron saint of the internet”, had a particular devotion to the Eucharist and one of his projects was an internet site for Eucharistic miracles. He inspired many, including his own parents, with his piety, his love of Jesus, and his kindness and generosity.

Beatified in Assisi in 2020 after his first miracle was recognized, Acutis, an Italian, will be the first millennial saint following his canonization, which is expected to take place in 2025, the Church’s jubilee year.

The miracle in question, according to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, involved the healing of Valeria Valverde, a 21-year-old woman from Costa Rica, who almost died after incurring a severe head injury in a bicycle accident while studying in Florence in 2022.

Following emergency surgery, during which her skull was opened to relieve pressure on the brain, the woman’s family was told that the situation was critical and that she may not survive.

Six days after the accident, the woman’s mother went on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in Assisi where she prayed that her daughter would recover and left a written note.

That same day, Valeria started to breathe on her own and by the following day was able to move her arms and to speak again.

She was discharged from intensive care 10 days after her mother’s pilgrimage, following tests which showed that the hemorrhage in her brain had completely disappeared. Valeria made a full recovery, needing only a week of physiotherapy after her discharge from hospital.

Others expected to be canonized alongside Acutis include Canadian nun Blessed Marie-Léonie Paradis, founder of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, Blessed Elena Guerra, known as the Apostle of the Holy Spirit; and Blessed Giuseppe Allamano.