Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishItalian prosecutors are investigating an alleged illegal marketplace for relics of Carlo Acutis, the late British-born 15-year-old set to become the first millennial saint later this month.Bishop Domenico Sorrentino filed a formal complaint after learning of an alleged sale of Acutis’ hair, said to have been bought online by an anonymous user for as much as 2,000 euros (£1,675).’We do not know whether the relics are real or fake,’ the bishop acknowledged. ‘But if it were also all invented, if there was deception, we would be not only in the midst of a fraud but also of an insult to religious belief.’The Diocese of Assisi-Nocera-Gualdo claims to have verified at least one of the relics. But they warn others are still circulating on the internet, always attributed to Acutis.The furore surrounding the teenager, who died from leukaemia in 2006, comes ahead of his canonisation at the end of April.Carlo Acutis will become a saint during the Church’s Jubilee of Teenagers, between April 25 and April 27 of this year.Since his death, he has been linked to two miracles on earth. Fascination with his beliefs and charity work in life have seen the teenager affectionately dubbed ‘God’s Influencer’. The remains of Blessed Carlo Acutis lay in his tomb in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore on March 18, 2025 in Assisi, Italy Cardinal Agostino Vallini, center, in the St. Francis Basilica, in Assisi, Italy during Carlo’s beatification ceremony, one of the steps towards sainthood Souvenirs and mementos of the Blessed Carlo Acutis for sale in a shop in Assisi Online vendors are claiming to be selling relics from the late Carlo Acutis An item listed as a lock of hair was being sold for as much as £240.00 onlineThe ‘millennial saint’ stands in contrast to the historic images of canonised figures whose lives today may feel remote to some worshippers, his mother has suggested.And many pilgrims from around the world have already made the journey to Assisi, the home of his 13th-century idol Saint Francis, where the teenager was also laid to rest. The single photo of an item listed as the ‘hair’ of late teenager Carlo AcutisAt the Sanctuary of the Spoliation in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, Acutis can be seen encased behind glass, his body carefully preserved.Shops around the medieval hill town have accommodated interest by selling trinkets and souvenirs with Acutis’ likeness; walls are adorned with bracelets, crosses, rosary beads and even fridge magnets including a widely-circulated photograph of the his face.But in an mercenary twist, some are now selling claimed ‘first-class relics’ directly from the body of the young boy himself.The Bishop Sorrentino has already lodged a complaint regarding the alleged sale of hair online – an ‘offence’ he deemed ‘impossible to accept’.Days later, MailOnline saw a listing for ‘Carlo Acutis lock of hair- Saint’ advertised for £240.00 on eBay.The item was described as a ‘precious lock of curls from Carlo Acutis- blessed and holy!”Was cut when he was still alive!’ the posting insisted.The seller would not accept returns and described the condition as new. Italian media reports a string of cynical cash grabs.Corriere dell’Umbria reported last month that a German seller was offering hair and blood on eBay, initially listed for 25 euros.The auction price reportedly rose to 102 euros after 14 bids – before suddenly disappearing. Carlo’s nannies claim he was inspired in part by St Francis of Assisi, who was born in the same town Carlo was laid to rest Souvenirs and mementos of the Blessed Carlo Acutis are seen for sale in a shop on March 18, 2025 in Assisi, Italy A nun stands near the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore on March 18, 2025 in Assisi, ItalyAn American seller also listed what was claimed to be hair and pieces of fabric from Acutis’ own clothes.Of course, it was impossible to verify the authenticity of these relics.Such relics have an important place in Catholic tradition; the Vatican concluded Acutis had interceded to help a sick Brazilian child after he made a full recovery when touched with a piece of cloth from the teenager’s clothes.Matheus Vianna had been diagnosed with annular pancreas, a rare congenital disease, at the age of two. One of the symptoms was frequent vomiting, limiting him to a liquid diet.With the guidance of Fr. Marcelo Tenorio, who was supporting the cause of Carlo’s beatification, Matheus’ mother began to pray to the late teenager.The priest recovered a piece of cloth from Carlo’s clothes, and touched the cloth against young Matheus, asking for him to be healed.According to the family, Matheus never vomited again and began consuming whole foods. The doctors reportedly found that the disease had been cured.Catholics hold these relics in high regard. Pilgrims queue to enter the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore church and to pay their respects at the tomb of the Blessed Carlo Acutis Carlo (pictured) was a devout Christian when he was alive and attended daily mass Carlo’s mother Antonia Salzano (pictured) refers to her late son as her ‘savior’ as Carlo taught her more and more about his faith and credits him with her conversion into Christianity’Relics? They are only a sign of the spiritual presence of a saint,’ Sorrentino explained in interview with Corriere dell’Umbria. ‘They do not work in a magical way.’He said the trading of relics was ‘firmly condemned by the Church’ – offensive even if they turned out to be fake.In all likelihood, they are. ‘No one has the blood of the blessed,’ he said to the reports of auctions online.Ecclesiastics and Christian communities can request ‘ex corpore’ (from the body) relics in special cases, but need authorisation from a bishop, who guarantees they are used correctly, Sorrentino explained.His relics have been touring around the world and have been seen in the United States, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Sri Lanka and India. ‘The relics are distributed completely free of charge, at most with a free offering to the sanctuary for expenses,’ Sorrentino told the outlet.The Church’s ire extends beyond just those selling the purported artefacts.Sorrentino said blame also lies with those buying them.’Perhaps there are people among the buyers in good faith,’ he caveated. Carlo Acutis pictured smiling at the camera while sporting an AC Milan home kit from the 1990s The teenager helped the homeless and stood up for bullied classmates at school A life-sized statue of Blessed Carlo Acutis stands in the doorway of a religious shop near the VaticanBut, he warned, the relics are ‘only a sign of the spiritual presence of a saint’ and ‘do not work in a magical way’.As such, it is only ‘prayer made with faith that obtains graces from the Lord’.What are the five steps to becoming a saint?Five-year wait: Five years usually needs to have passed after someone’s death for the process to begin. This allows for a period of reflection on the case.Servant of God: The bishop of the diocese where the person has died investigates whether their life was holy enough to be deemed a ‘servant of God’. Life of heroic virtue: The Congregation for the Causes of Saints looks at the case. If they approve it is passed onto the Pope, who declares the subject a person of ‘heroic virtue’. Beatification: A miracle needs to happen to a person who has prayed to the person in question. Canonisation: A second miracle is attributed to the person who has been beatified. Carlo Acutis, born in London in 1991 to an Italian mother and a half-English, half-Italian father, came to public attention after Pope Francis named him venerable, following his ‘intercession’ to help the ailing Brazilian Matheus.To become a saint, an individual requires two miracles attributed to them.The second came in 2022, when the mother of a Costa Rican woman involved in a serious bike accident had prayed at his glass casket and left a note asking for her to be healed in 2022.The same day her daughter began to breathe independently and 10 days later she was discharged from intensive care because the haemorrhage in her brain had disappeared.The Vatican concluded the ‘miracle’ was a result of Acutis’ intercession in May 2024, paving the way for him to be canonised as a saint. In life, friends and family remember the teenager as a kind soul who was passionate about his faith, and devoted his life to helping the less fortunate.Antonia Salzano, his mother, said her son had a ‘special relationship’ with God from an early age, even though her family was not religious.He was three when he took his mother along to Catholic Mass, before her conversion to Christianity.Aged seven, he wrote: ‘My life plan is to be always close to Jesus’.It was a commitment he would carry with him throughout his life before it was cut short by cancer of the blood in 2006.His mother said that he never ran into trouble at school, and that his faith never wavered. Carlo (pictured as a baby) was also an incredibly smart young boy, speaking his first word at three months, starting talking at five months, and writing at age four Pilgrims pray and pay their respects at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and Sanctuary of the Renunciation on March 18, 2025 in Assisi Mementos of the Blessed Carlo Acutis are seen for sale in a shop on March 18, 2025 in Assisi’Naturally, there is lots of jealousy between classmates, but with Carlo none of that happened,’ she said.’He melted those things like magic; with his smile and purity of heart he conquered everyone. He had the ability to enflame the hearts of people, to turn their cold hearts warm.’As a young child, Acutis would donate his money to the poor, and when he was old enough spent his evenings cooking and delivering meals to the homeless.Then, at the end of each day, Carlo would take time to reflect on his life, how he treated his friends, teachers and parents and how he could eliminate any form of sin that he may have committed.At the turn of the millennium, the young boy began teaching himself computer programming, which he would use to share information about his beliefs.He soon set up a website, ‘The Eucharistic Miracles of the World’, where he researched and documented miracles attributed with the Eucharist.The website says it ‘aimed at confirming faith in the real presence of the body and blood of the Lord in the Eucharist’.Carlo’s diagnosis with leukaemia in October 2006 came as a horrifying shock. Acutis, who died aged 15 from leukaemia in 2006, is to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint after being credited with miracles since his death Acutis’ body has been encased in a wax layer molded to look like his body prior to burial, allowing faithful to see Acutis as he lived in his tomb, per AleteiaThe disease can take several forms but affects the blood cells in bone marrow.Symptoms include tiredness, bruising and bleeding, repeated infections and high temperatures, per Blood Cancer UK.The disease overwhelmingly affects young people. While it is not currently curable, it is possible to treat.In spite of his diagnosis, Carlo reassured his parents: ‘I’m happy to die because I’ve lived my life without wasting even a minute of it doing things that wouldn’t have pleased God.’Carlo Acutis died on October 12, 2006.
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