A student cycling through the Italian city of Florence falls from her bike and slams into the ground. Her head injury is so serious that doctors fear they will have to perform a risky brain surgery. But, as she lies in a hospital bed, she begins to breath, speak and move without help. Ten days later, a brain scan shows that her haemorrhageSevere blood loss from a damaged blood vessel. has disappeared.

What happened? Well, according to the Catholic ChurchThe word Catholic means "universal". A Christian denomination with over a billion followers worldwide, led by the Pope. , it was a miracle. Soon after the accident, the student's mother travelled to a tomb in Assisi, another Italian city. There, she asked the teenage boy who was buried in the tomb to save her daughter's life.¹

The boy was called Carlo Acutis. He died in 2006 of leukaemiaCancer of the white blood cells. at the age of 15. Growing up in London and then Italy, he used the internet to share his devout Catholic faith. After his death, people began praying to Carlo to help with their health problems.

This is not the first time Carlo has been connected to a miracle cure. Previously, a seven-year old boy in Brazil with a malformed pancreasAn organ that forms part of the digestive system. recovered after touching one of the teenager's shirts. Catholic leaders called it a miracle, and in February 2022 Carlo was beatifiedIn the Catholic church, a formal announcement that someone who is dead has lived a holy life. It is one of the steps towards sainthood. by the pope - the first step to sainthood.

The tradition of saints goes back to the beginning of the Church. Originally, they were Christian men and women who lived exemplary lives. 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., the tombs and remains of saints were often associated with miracle cures. Nowadays, when a holy person is proposed as a saint, Church authorities need proof of at least two miracles that took place after someone prayed to them for help.

Because the Church has recognised a second miracle from Carlo, he looks set to be canonisedIn the Catholic Church, to officially declare someone a saint. soon. But critics have argued that the idea of sainthood is outdated. Nobody, they say, really believes in miracles any more.

According to Austen Ivereigh, the biographer of the current pope, miracles are a distraction. The important thing is that saints inspire everyday believers to have more faith. "Saints show the way God loves, and that love transforms," he argues.²

Sceptics claim that it is ridiculous to keep looking for miracles in the modern world. This tradition dates back to a time before medical science, when people were much more superstitiousBelieving in old ideas about luck and magic, instead of ideas based on human reason or scientific knowledge. . According to the journalist Simon Jenkins, the practice "drips with medieval nonsense".³

What is certain is that many young people are leaving religion behind. According to a 2018 survey, 70% of young adults aged 16 to 29 in the UK were non-religious - more than at any other time in history.⁴ Even in America, which has more believers, MillennialsPeople who reached adulthood in the early 21st Century. are as likely to have no religion as to be Christian.⁵

By making this Millennial teenager a saint, the Church hopes to inspire more young people. After all, Carlo Acutis was also an ordinary boy who liked football, computer games and spending time on the internet. But for now, it remains to be seen whether celebrating miracle cures is the right way to attract sceptics and doubters.

Should we believe in miracles?

Yes: Saints do not just belong in the Middle Ages. Inspiring people are born in the modern world too. This remarkable boy could encourage more young people to believe.

No: Medical miracles happen all the time. Most doctors have a story about a recovery they cannot explain. That does not mean there is a supernatural reason, let alone a saint involved.

Or... It is a good idea for the Church to show people that even an ordinary teenager can live an exceptional life. But miracle cures only appeal to people who already believe.