Pakistani Who Died Saving Catholics From Suicide Bomber Named Servant of God

Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (St John 15:13, DRB)

From ChurchPOP

By Jacqueline Burkepile

This man is a hero!

Akash Bashir of Lahore, Pakistan became the country’s first Servant of God after he died saving a Catholic Church from a suicide bomber on March 15, 2015.

“I will die but I will not let you go in,” the 20-year-old volunteer security guard told the suicide bomber while blocking his entry into St. John’s Catholic Church.

The terrorist then set off the bomb, killing himself, Bashir, and two other individuals. Bashir’s heroic actions saved the packed church of more than 1,000 Catholic worshippers, preventing a much larger massacre.

St. John’s was one of two churches who fell victim to a terrorist attack that day. The attacks killed 17 people and injured at least 70.

Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore announced on the 2022 feast of St. John Bosco (Jan. 31) that the Vatican accepted his request naming Bashir a Servant of God. The Church gives this title to those whose cause for canonization is under investigation.

Bashir’s cause includes both a case for sainthood and martyrdom.

Bashir’s mother Naz Bano told Aid to the Church in Need in Dec. 2020 that her son became a volunteer security guard to save the church from suicide bombers.

“He was ready to sacrifice his life if God gave him a chance to protect others,” Bano said.

“He was a simple boy who died in the path of the Lord and saved the priest and worshippers. People love him. Akash is already our saint.”

Here’s a beautiful video remembering Servant of God Akash Bashir: