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A30 world news
Dialuna 12 OctOber 2020

Italian teenage computer whiz beatified by Catholic Church

(AP) — A 15-year-old Ital- ian boy from a rare pancreatic
ian computer whiz who disorder after coming into
died of leukemia in 2006 contact with an Acutis relic, a
moved a step closer to piece of one of his T-shirts."I
possible sainthood Sat- was sure he was already a
urday with his beatifica- saint while alive. He healed a
tion in the town of Assisi, woman from cancer, praying
where he is buried. to the Madonna of Pompeii,"
his mother told Corriere.
Carlo Acutis is the youngest Another verified miracle is
contemporary person to be necessary for sainthood, al-
beatified, a path taken by two though Pope Francis has
Portuguese shepherd chil- waived that on rare occasions.
dren living in the early 1900s Acutis was buried in Assisi at
who were proclaimed Catho- his own requests, having be-
lic saints in 2017. come an admirer of St. Fran-
At the beatification ceremony cis of Assisi for his dedication
in the Basilica of Saint Fran- to the poor. The Umbrian
cis of Assisi, a portrait of town was one of his favorite
Acutis was slowly unveiled, travel destinations. His body,
revealing a smiling teen in a clad in a tracksuit and sneak-
red polo shirt, his curly dark ers, has been on display for
hair illuminated by a halo of veneration in a sanctuary in
light. Cardinal Agostino Val- the town, and his heart will
lini, the papal legate for the and then learned how to edit prised his non-practicing newing her own faith. "Carlo be displayed in a reliquary in
Assisi basilicas, kissed each videos and create animation. parents. His mother told the saved me. I was an illiterate of the St. Francis Basilica.
of the boy's mask-wearing "Carlo used the internet in Corriere della Sera newspa- faith. I came back thanks to Acutis told his mother that
parents, Andrea Acutis and service of the Gospel, to reach per that from age 3 he would Father Ilio Carrai, the Padre he would give her many signs
Antonia Salzano, after read- as many people as possible,'' ask to visit churches they Pio of Bologna, otherwise I of his presence after death.
ing the proclamation decreed the cardinal said during his passed in Milan, and by age would have felt discredited in "Before he left us, I told him:
by Pope Francis. Already homily, adding that the teen 7 had asked to receive the my parental authority. It is a If in heaven you find our
touted as the "patron saint of saw the web "as a place to use sacrament of Holy Commu- path that continues. I hope to four-legged friends, look for
the internet," Acutis created with responsibility, without nion, winning an exception at least wind up in purgatory," Billy, my childhood dog that
a website to catalog miracles becoming enslaved." to the customary age require- she told the Milan daily. he never knew," the mother
and took care of websites for Acutis was born in London ment. ''There was in him a Acutis died of acute leukemia said. One day she got a call
some local Catholic organiza- on May 3, 1991, to Italian natural predisposition for the on Oct. 12, 2006. He was put from an aunt who was un-
tions. While still in elementa- parents and moved to Milan sacred," his mother said. on the road to sainthood after aware of the mother-son
ry school, Acutis taught him- as a child. Already as a small His curiosity prompted her Pope Francis approved a mir- pact, saying "I saw Carlo in a
self to code using a university child, he showed a strong to study theology in order acle attributed to Acutis: The dream tonight. He was hold-
computer science textbook, religious devotion that sur- to answer his questions, re- healing of a 7-year-old Brazil- ing Billy in his arms."

UK at ‘tipping point:’ England braces for more restrictions

(AP) — Millions of people versities. Infection levels, — have been supplemented support scheme that it an- cause there is clear evidence
in northern England are and deaths — in the U.K. are by local actions, including nounced Friday and for not that local councils are good at
anxiously waiting to hear rising at their fastest rates in in some cases banning con- properly telling them about that, as you'd expect," he told
how much further virus months. tacts between households. the upcoming restrictions. the BBC.
restrictions will be tight- Without quick action, there In Scotland's two biggest cit- The wage plan aims to help As well as facing questions
ened as one of the Brit- are fears that U.K. hospitals ies, Glasgow and Edinburgh, employees in companies that over its coronavirus strategy,
ish government's leading will be overwhelmed in the pubs have already closed for are forced to close because of government members were
medical advisers warned coming weeks at a time of 16 days to suppress the out- virus restrictions, but mayors having to respond to accusa-
Sunday that the country is year when they are already break. say it's not generous enough tions of potential wrongdo-
at a crucial juncture in the at their busiest with winter- In response to the virus' re- in paying only two-thirds of ing.
second wave of the coro- related afflictions like the flu. surgence, Prime Minister employees' wages and doesn't Jenrick, himself, denied there
navirus. The U.K. has experienced Boris Johnson is expected to compensate those indirectly was anything wrong in the
Europe's deadliest outbreak, announce a new three-tier hit by any business closures, fact that he and a junior min-
England's deputy chief medi- with an official death toll local lockdown system for such as drink suppliers to ister in his department ap-
cal officer, Professor Jona- of 42,825, up another 65 on England on Monday, which pubs. proved payments to towns
than Van-Tam, said the U.K. Sunday. could temporarily close pubs Communities Secretary Rob- in each other's constituencies
is at a "tipping point similar Although coronavirus infec- and restaurants in the virus ert Jenrick on Sunday sought from a government fund ear-
to where we were in March" tions are rising throughout hot spots. The speculation is to assuage concerns that the marked for deprived areas.
following a sharp increase in England, northern cities like household mixing, indoors government was being overly He insisted there was a "ro-
new coronavirus cases. Liverpool, Manchester and or outside, will be banned hierarchical in its approach. bust and fair" methodology
"But we can prevent his- Newcastle have seen a dis- in those areas put under the He also indicated that local behind the allocations.
tory repeating itself if we all proportionate increase. While tightest restrictions. Liver- authorities will be given more Separately, Health Secretary
act now," he said. "Now we some rural areas in eastern pool's local leader has said control over the national test Matt Hancock denied claims
know where it is and how to England have less than 20 he expects his city to face the and trace program, which has that he broke the govern-
tackle it — let's grasp this op- cases per 100,000 people, ma- most onerous restrictions struggled to live up to John- ment's drinking curfew after
portunity and prevent history jor metropolitan areas such as from Wednesday. son's prediction that it would the Mail on Sunday news-
from repeating itself." Liverpool, Manchester and He is briefing members of be "world-beating." paper claimed he was seen
All across Europe including Nottingham have recently the Cabinet by conference "In addition to the national having a drink in a House of
the U.K., there have been recorded levels above 500 per call Sunday. infrastructure which is de- Commons bar after 10 p.m.
huge increases in coronavirus 100,000, nearly as bad as Ma- Local leaders in northern veloping and increasing with "The proposed timeline of
cases over the past few weeks drid or Brussels. England have vented their every passing week, we're events is false and no rules
following the reopening of As a result, national restric- fury at the Conservative also going to be making use have been broken," a spokes-
large sectors of the economy, tions such as a 10 p.m. cur- government over what they of local councils to do con- man for the health secretary
as well as schools and uni- few on pubs and restaurants see as an "inadequate" wage tact tracing in particular, be- said.