Pope Leo greeted the more than 80,000 faithful who had gathered early in St Peter’s Square Before canonising the first saints of his pontificate, because he wanted to share his joy with them before the start of the solemn ceremony.

“Brothers and sisters, today is a wonderful celebration for all of Italy, for the whole Church, for the whole world,” Poe Leo said.

“While the celebration is very solemn, it is also a day of great joy, and I wanted to greet especially the many young people who have come for this holy Mass,” he said.

The two new saints proclaimed are two young laymen of the 20th and 21st centuries.

“The greatest risk in life is to waste it by not seeking to follow God’s plan”, Pope Leo said.

“Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upward and make them masterpieces,” the said.

“The simple but winning formula of their holiness,” he said, is accessible to everyone at any time. “They encourage us with their words: ‘Not I, but God,’ as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: ‘If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end.’”

Bishop Michael Kennedy organised an international exhibition of Blessed Carlo Acutis to visit our Diocese earlier this year.

The Carlo Acutis exhibition of Eucharistic miracles came to Newcastle as part of our celebrations for the Jubilee year of Hope.

Bishop Michael shared his thoughts about the exhibition and the now Saint.

“It seemed to me that the life of this remarkable boy connected with and had an impact on those present at the exhibition when we hosted. Throughout the week that the exhibition was in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle I received many messages from people who had visited it, saying what I great experience it was. They were so grateful to have had the opportunity,” Bishop Michael reflected.

“There is something about Carlo that truly makes him a saint for our times. His background from a Catholic but not devout or practicing Catholic family; his devotion to and love of Jesus in the Eucharist together with his concern and love for the poor; his playful nature together with his enthusiasm for spreading the faith and lack of fear to do so. These aspects of his life, together with others, resonate deeply with those who come to know him. It’s very fitting that he will be canonised during the Jubilee Year that focusses on hope.”

Read more about the exhibition here.

You can also read more about Saint Carlo and some reflections from Yvonne Rego from our Diocese.

Image: Portraits of the new saints hang from the basilica as Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims from the popemobile at the end of the canonisation Mass in St Peter’s Square on 7 September 2025. (CNS/Vatican Media)