Carlo Acutis: Discover his cause of death and where he is buried

The news of the upcoming canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager with a passion for computers and the Eucharist, has raised several questions for Catholics, including the circumstances of his death and the place where his remains rest.

What did Carlo Acutis die from?

Acutis died at the young age of 15 in 2006 from acute promyelocytic leukemia (M3), the risk of mortality of which is much higher than in other leukemias.

According to the Spanish Association of People Affected by Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukemia (AEAL), the high mortality rate of M3 is due to the leukemic cells releasing granules loaded with proteins and enzymes into the blood. This causes the destruction of clotting factors in the blood, which can result in serious bleeding, such as brain bleeds, and also the formation of clots in the blood vessels.

Carlo fell ill on October 2, 2006 and initially it was thought he just had the flu. However, her condition worsened and she received the diagnosis at the De Marchi Clinic in Milan. Later, he was transferred to the San Gerardo hospital in Monza, a city located in northern Italy.

On Tuesday, October 10, 2006, Carlo asked to receive the Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist, knowing that he would die soon. The next day, he went into a coma due to a brain hemorrhage. He was declared clinically dead at 5:00 pm and his heart stopped beating about two hours later.

Despite his short life, he left a notable legacy for his commitment to faith and his ability to combine it with his passion for technology, which is why he was nicknamed the “cyberapostle of the Eucharist.”

Antonia Salzano, his mother, has reported that shortly after the funeral, she woke up to a voice that told her: “Testament.” She searched the room hoping to find some written note, but found nothing. She turned on the computer, the device her son used the most. On the desk he found a video recorded by himself three months earlier, where he said: “When I reach 70 kilos, I am destined to die.”

Where is the body of Carlo Acutis buried?

Initially, Carlo Acutis was buried in the Ternengo cemetery, in the Italian region of Piedmont. However, in January 2007, his body was transferred to the cemetery of Assisi, a city that houses the tomb of Saint Francis of Assisi, one of the most revered saints.

On January 23, 2019, Carlo’s body was exhumed, and on April 6 of the same year, it was transferred to the Parish of Santa María la Mayor, also known as the Sanctuary of Dispossession, in Assisi.

Inside the temple, to the right, you can see Carlo’s body inside a glass urn, as if he were asleep. His remains are in excellent condition, although it cannot be said that they are incorrupt.

In statements to ACI Prensa/EWTN, the rector of the Sanctuary of Dispossession in Assisi, Fr. Carlos Acácio Gonçalves Ferreira highlighted that currently the body “is in a very intact state, not intact, but complete. “Preserves all the organs.”

“Work has been done on the face, but it is nice that for the first time in history you can see a saint dressed in jeans, sneakers and a sweatshirt. That is a great message,” he added.