Icon of Saint Carlo Acutis created with the help of AI consecrated in Navalukoml

An icon created by artificial intelligence has been consecrated in Belarus for the first time. According to reports, this may also be the first such case in the world. The consecration took place at the Church of St Mary Magdalene in Navalukoml: on 11 October the icon was blessed by Archbishop Emeritus Tadevuš Kandrusievič.

According to non-state Belarusian outlets, the icon is dedicated to Saint Carlo Acutis, who is called a cyber-apostle. Pro-Russian outlets add that on the same day the archbishop consecrated a chapel of Francis of Assisi with a parish garden in Navalukoml, in the Viciebsk region.

Carlo Acutis was an Italian teenager. The Catholic Church canonised him in 2025. He died at 15 and became the first millennial saint.

He is called the patron of young people and of the internet.

Acutis is known for spreading the faith through the internet. According to reports in Telegram channels, he died of leukaemia and was nicknamed "God's influencer". The choice of this particular saint for an icon created by a neural network therefore looks logical for the parish: the image is tied to the digital age.

According to Belarusian state media, the icon was installed in such a way that access to the image of St Mary Magdalene opens through it. The archbishop considered this symbolic.

The parish's idea found not only supporters. According to non-state Belarusian outlets, many believers criticised it on social media and wrote that an image generated by AI cannot be called an icon. According to reports in Telegram channels, some users believe one should not pray before such an image.

The parish priest, Father Mikalaj Lipski, said that the image was created with the help of artificial intelligence. According to Belarusian state media, he said this during an online broadcast of the Mass.

Different groups of sources place the emphasis differently. Belarusian state media write about the placement of the icon and the archbishop's words, while non-state outlets write about the reaction of believers and the significance of Saint Carlo Acutis.