Why the canonisation of the first millennial saint is a cause to celebrate

On Sunday the Catholic Church will acquire its first millennial saint, when Pope Leo XIV canonises someone who, if he were alive today, would be young enough to be his son. Carlo Acutis, a ‘computer geek’ from a prosperous Italian family, died aged just 15 in 2006. In this episode of Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson talks to Mgr Anthony Figueiredo and the Italian-based journalist Nicholas Farrell about the extraordinary phenomenon of St Carlo, the miracles associated with him – and the scepticism they arouse – and a mean-spirited attack on him by one of the late Pope Francis’s closest advisers. Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 6, 2025

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

Why the canonisation of the first millennial saint is a cause to celebrate

0:00 36:41

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

What Then Say You Keith & Tunisha Barnes Welcome to the show! In this podcast we have candid conversations about various topics that will encourage and at times challenge you! The greatest conversations ever had are typically amongst friends in an intimate setting. This is the venue in which the Holy Spirit often works to separate the chaff from the wheat in our lives if we are being honest with ourselves. We hope as you peer behind the veil and join us that you take what you hear and consider it with Gods word in your own life. Do you know that Jesus Christ is my LORD My God Can Love and Teach you To learn the Bible How can the authenticated KJV Bible ever help your life to deliver you from the power of Satan to the power of the holy God?How should the Christian faith ever be able to help us to overcome the sinful world as quickly as possible?I promise You that you should find out the answers when you listen to my podcast episodes.The specialized and narrow topic of e-books is also freely available in the future for the gratitude of your donation.Please support my podcast by donations.learn the bible quickly.Thank You for listening to my Podcast, Your kindness and love are appreciated. Faith & Fitness with Michele Sotak Michele Sotak Michele does ministry work at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago and is a master fitness trainer to other trainers, and trainer to pro-athletes and priests. Holy and Healthy Saints Laura Pickard The Holy and Healthy Saints podcast is to help Latter-day Saints embrace the power of Jesus Christ as they strive for better health and body image. We explore how and why this faith-filled approach may be the answer to peace and freedom around food.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Holy Smoke?

This episode is 36 minutes long.

When was this Holy Smoke episode published?

This episode was published on September 6, 2025.

Can I download this Holy Smoke episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!