KIWALA CAROLINE TAHIR: God’s Influencer: How Saint Carlo Acutis Inspires Today’s Digital Youth

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion-style article by Kiwala Caroline Tahir marking the Catholic Church’s Feast Day for Saint Carlo Acutis on 12 October, which the piece says also aligns with the anniversary of his death in 2006. The article describes Acutis as the first millennial saint, canonized by the Catholic Church on 7 September 2025, and presents him as a model for young people navigating a digital culture shaped by social media, materialism, and online attention.

The report outlines Acutis’s background, saying he was born in London in 1991, raised in Milan, and died at age 15 from leukemia. It notes his devotion to the Eucharist and his use of technology to build a website cataloguing Eucharistic miracles. The author uses his example to argue that faith and modern digital tools can coexist, framing him as a kind of “influencer” whose online skills served religious education rather than self-promotion.

The piece also connects that message to Uganda, citing remarks attributed to the late Bishop Charles Martin Wamika during Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations in Namugongo in 2023. According to the article, he encouraged young people to use websites, smartphones, and television to promote morality and defend the Catholic faith. It adds that the Laudato Si Youth Initiative responded by creating a website focused on good morals and responsible living.

More broadly, the article urges users of social media to avoid insults and instead share constructive, faith-based content. While the text is devotional and persuasive in tone, its wider significance lies in how Catholic writers are linking sainthood, youth culture, and digital responsibility in contemporary Uganda.