CARLO ACUTIS, TWENTY YEARS ON: THE 11 OCTOBER CANALE 5 BROADCAST FROM ASSISI
Sunday 11 October: Canale 5’s announced schedule included coverage from 9.40am. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle was the announced celebrant at the 10am Mass, with Safiria Leccese reporting from Assisi.
Curly hair, a backpack, a face you might pass outside school. Carlo Acutis belonged to a familiar world of computers, friends and lessons. His story still brings people of every age together.
On Sunday 11 October 2026, the eve of the twentieth anniversary of his death, Canale 5’s announced schedule included coverage live to Assisi from 9.40am. Mass was scheduled to begin at 10am, with Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.
From Assisi to your home
The celebration was scheduled at the Sanctuary of the Spoliation in Santa Maria Maggiore church. Carlo’s remains rest here, and pilgrims come to pray, discover his story or simply pause.
The announced programme included an introduction by Safiria Leccese and interviews with worshippers after Mass.
The boy who used computers to talk about Jesus
A saint might make you picture someone from centuries ago. Carlo was born in London in 1991 and grew up in Milan. He went to school, had many friends and loved computing.
He used his digital skills for a project on Eucharistic miracles. His life extended beyond the screen: care for people in difficulty, prayer and the Eucharist were central to his days.
Fifteen years old, and a story that kept going
Carlo died at San Gerardo Hospital in Monza on 12 October 2006, aged fifteen, of a rapidly progressing leukaemia. He was beatified on 10 October 2020 and canonised by Pope Leo XIV on 7 September 2025.
His witness can speak to a teenage girl, a mother or a grandmother; to lifelong believers and those still asking questions. It invites us to look at what we already have: our time, talents and encounters.
After the film, the 11 October broadcast
The broadcast was announced following the television film Il mio nome è Carlo, shown on 27 September, and the Tg5 special Il Santo Millennial. This time the appointment was a celebration from Assisi’s sanctuary.
The documentary Carlo Acutis. Il giovane santo, in cinemas from 15 to 21 October, is a separate project covered on its own page. Different titles and dates, the same life to discover.
The announced 11 October schedule
9.40am: Canale 5’s announced schedule included coverage with Safiria Leccese in Assisi.
10am: Mass with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
After Mass: testimonies from worshippers. Check official catalogues for any currently available recordings.
Did you already know Carlo’s story? What has struck you most about his life?
The two 11 October appointments were: TV2000 at 8.30am; Canale 5 from 9.40am, with Mass at 10am. Two different celebrations, both in Assisi. All times are Italian local time.
