Archbishop in Belarus blesses AI-generated icon of saint Carlo Acutis

Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the former head of the Catholic Church in Belarus, on October 11 blessed an icon created with artificial intelligence at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Novolukoml, the Belarusian outlet Katolik.life reported. The image depicts Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager whom the Vatican declared a saint a year ago.

According to Katolik.life, it is the first time an AI-generated icon has been blessed in Belarus. Meduza said it could not find information about similar blessings in other countries, including Russia.

Criticism from believers

Katolik.life reported that some believers criticized the blessing on social media. They argued that an image generated by AI cannot be regarded as an icon.

Who Carlo Acutis was

Acutis was an Italian teenager who came to faith in childhood. He learned to code and built websites for Catholic organizations. He also created a website documenting miracles around the world. He died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15, and the Vatican canonized him in 2025.

Acutis has been called the "patron saint of the internet" and the first millennial saint.