Acutis Relics Allegedly Auctioned Online, Bishop Reports Incident to Police

Assisi: Relics of Carlo Acutis, a teenager on the verge of canonization and recognized as the patron saint of the Internet, have reportedly been listed for auction online, announced Bishop Domenico Sorrentino on Wednesday. The bishop has taken the matter to the authorities, filing a complaint against unknown individuals involved in the alleged sale of the sacred relics.

According to Ansa News Agency, Bishop Sorrentino has officially reported the incident to the police, though he did not specify the nature of the relics involved. The Perugia prosecutors are now investigating the case to ascertain the details of this unusual occurrence.

Carlo Acutis, whose body is preserved in the sanctuary of the Spogliazione at Assisi, was a student from Lombardy who succumbed to leukemia at the age of 15 in 2006. He is revered as a model of Christian life among young believers and has been dubbed the ‘patron saint of the internet.’ Acutis is set to be canonized during the Roman Catholic Jubilee in April, following his beatification on October 10, 2020, in Assisi. Pope Francis recently confirmed Acutis’s eligibility for sainthood after a second miracle attributed to him was ratified.

The second miracle, which solidified his path to sainthood, involved the miraculous recovery of a young girl from Costa Rica. Alongside the Blessed Giuseppe Allamano, founder of the Consolata Missions, Acutis will be officially declared a saint by Pope Francis.