Catholic Church prepares to canonise its first gamer saint—and yep, one of his favourites was Halo

Gaming IndustryCatholic Church prepares to canonise its first gamer saint—and yep, one of his favourites was HaloWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Vatican Pool via Getty Images)

Carlo Acuti, who is being canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church.

The process for becoming a saint can take decades if not hundreds of years, but Acutis has become a cause celebre among Catholics and is a hugely popular figure. The teenager, who is most often depicted in jeans and trainers, was nicknamed “God’s influencer” for both his online work and being emblematic of the younger generation of Catholics: Acutis created a websitedocumenting reports of miraclesacross the world which found a huge following.

“As I did, you too can become holy,” his mother Antonia Salzano told CNN in May. “Nevertheless, (with) all the media, the technologies, it seems sometimes that holiness is something that belongs to the past. Instead, holiness is also something nowadays in this modern time.”

Salzano went on to say that, from the age of nine, Acutis would spend time helping the Milanese homeless and, among other things, insisted on only owning one pair of shoes, with any money saved going to help the poor.

The second miracle involves the reported healing of a Costa Rican girl who suffered a serious head injury after falling off her bicycle in Florence, Italy. Her mother prayed for the girl’s recovery at Acutis' tomb in Assisi, and lo and behold her daughter made a full recovery.

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Acutis' path to sainthood has been unusually short. A person cannot be nominated for canonisation until five years after their death, so Acutis' cause began six years after his death in 2012. He was decreed “Venerable” in 2018, “Blessed” in 2020, and, although a date has not been set, is expected to be declared a saint during the Catholic church’s jubilee celebrations in 2025. When it does happen, the Pope will formally declare Acutis a saint in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City, after which the Catholic Church will remember him annually on a feast day, and parishes and schools can be named after him.

Acutis Game - The First Catholic Open-World Metaverse (Pre-Order Today!) - YouTubeWatch On

Acutis Game - The First Catholic Open-World Metaverse (Pre-Order Today!) - YouTube

One of the odder manifestations of Acutis' posthumous fame is a project named The Acutis Game. Billing itself as “the first Catholic open-world metaverse”, the game will apparently follow Acutis as he time travels over the centuries, meeting other saints and key figures in Catholic history and travelling to various Holy sites. Among other highlights, this metaverse will allow you to ski as a young Pope John Paul II.

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