Should we believe in miracles? As Pope Francis prepares to make a young Catholic boy a saint, some people argue that the idea of sainthood is out of date.
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Boy set to become first millennial saint
Should we believe in miracles? As Pope Francis prepares to make a young Catholic boy a saint, some people argue that the idea of sainthood is out of date.
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A student cycling through an Italian town falls from her bike. Her head injury is so serious that doctors fear she needs risky brain surgery. But then she begins to breath, speak and move without help. Ten days later, she is better.
Today the Catholic ChurchThe word Catholic means "universal". A Christian denomination with over a billion followers worldwide, led by the Pope. says that this was a miracle. Soon after the accident, the student's mother travelled to Assisi, another Italian city, where she asked a teenage boy buried in a tombA vault, usually underground, for burying the dead. to save her daughter's life.
The boy was called Carlo Acutis. He died at the age of 15 in 2006. After his death, people began praying to Carlo to help with their health problems.
When a holy person is suggested as a saint, Church leaders need proof of at least two miracles that took place after someone prayed to them for help. The student cyclist is the second miracle from Carlo, meaning he should be made a saint soon.
Some say that saints inspire everyday believers to have more faith. "Saints show the way God loves, and that love transforms," argues one author.
But others say it is ridiculous to keep looking for miracles in the modern world. Today, many things can be explained by science.
According to a 2018 surveyWhen you ask a group of people questions about what they think about a particular topic. , 70% of young adults aged 16-29 in the UK were non-religious - more than at any other time in history.
By making this MillennialA person born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s. teenager a saint, the Church hopes to inspire more young people.
Should we believe in miracles?
Yes! Saints do not just belong in the Middle AgesThe Middle Ages was the period in European history that came between ancient and modern times. It lasted from about 500 to about 1500.. Amazing people are born in the modern world too. This boy could make more people believe.
No! Medical miracles actually happen quite often. But that does not mean that a saint was the reason - it just means we do not know why everything happens yet.
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Keywords
Catholic Church - The word Catholic means "universal". A Christian denomination with over a billion followers worldwide, led by the Pope.
Tomb - A vault, usually underground, for burying the dead.
Survey - When you ask a group of people questions about what they think about a particular topic.
Millennial - A person born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s.
Middle Ages - The Middle Ages was the period in European history that came between ancient and modern times. It lasted from about 500 to about 1500.
Boy set to become first millennial saint
‘God’s influencer’: Carlo Acutis helped to spread Roman Catholic teaching online before his death aged 15 in 2006. Glossary
Catholic Church - The word Catholic means "universal". A Christian denomination with over a billion followers worldwide, led by the Pope.
Tomb - A vault, usually underground, for burying the dead.
Survey - When you ask a group of people questions about what they think about a particular topic.
Millennial - A person born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s.
Middle Ages - The Middle Ages was the period in European history that came between ancient and modern times. It lasted from about 500 to about 1500.