Why Carlo Acutis and Pope Francis Were Apostles of Hope

Pope Francis and Carlo Acutis might seem almost like polar opposites.

One is an elderly pope from Argentina who speaks seven languages and has led millions. The other was a videogame-playing Italian teenager.

It’s easy to think you couldn’t find two more contrasting people.

Yet they share something crucial. They are apostles of hope.

Pope Francis

Throughout his priesthood and pontificate, Pope Francis has consistently focused on serving the poor, comforting the needy, and inspiring hope in those who feel lost.

When he visits a drug rehabilitation clinic, he didn't deliver long theological lectures. He preached a message of hope. That God’s mercy is real, that even sinners can trust in God’s love, and that there is always reason to hope in the promise of eternal life.

In one of my favourite messages, Pope Francis, proclaimed on a video ‘The future has a name, and it’s name is hope.’ 

Hope, in the Catholic sense, is not blind optimism. It is the theological virtue by which we "desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1817)

Pope Francis embodies this virtue in both word and action, reminding us that hope flourishes when grounded in God’s reality.

 

His last tweet on Easter the day before he died, somewhat fittingly, he proclaimed a Christian hope for all in the face of death. 

Even after his death, he placed his tomb in between two confessionals. I’m not certain if this is intentional, but it gives an inspiring message. The despite calling himself a sinner many times, he can still, through the sacrament of Reconciliation, “look forward to the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” 

In a world starving of hope, Pope Francis message comes as a breath of fresh air to us.

As a Shepherd of the flock, for the first time ever, a pope wrote their own autobiography. And fittingly, the name to summarise his entire life, he put as ‘Hope’.

Carlo Acutis

Sainthood is a universal vocation. Everyone is called to it.

But sometimes, when we look at the lives of saints, we can feel intimidated. Radical poverty, heroic martyrdom, decades of rigorous prayer can all seem so distant.

Carlo Acutis offers a different example.

He wasn’t any sort of priest or religious. On the surface, he was quite unremarkable despite his remarkable love for God.

Carlo lived in our world, embraced modern life, and yet cultivated holiness through small acts of love. 

In a generation that can be so morally corrupt, Carlo Acutis gives us reason to hope. He didn’t just become holy despite the times, but living within his generation. Carlo played PlayStation and did modern activities, yet tempered everything with moderation and virtue.

Carlo gives us an example to hope that even Christ working through us can achieve a similar feat.

For this saint, his hope of his was inseparable from the Eucharist. He called the Eucharist, his "highway to Heaven". And in the end, well, he was kind of right.

 

 

Apostles of Hope for Our Time

In Pope Francis and Carlo Acutis, we see two very different lives converging on a single truth: hope is transformative.

Despite how far away sainthood may seem, hope pushes us towards it and increases our virtue.

They remind us that holiness is not reserved for the extraordinary alone. It is available to everyone willing to live in love, faith, and hope.

 

If you want to explore these inspiring lives further, check out “Hope” by Pope Francis and “My Son Carlo” by Carlo Acutis’ mother. Let their examples guide your own journey of faith and hope, and unwavering trust in God.

God Bless,

Virtue Books