LAHORE (Agencies): The Archdiocese of Lahore, Pakistan, delayed the announcement confirming the Vatican’s acceptance of the diocesan investigation into the beatification and canonisation of the young Servant of God, Akash Bashir. This led to questions and confusion among Catholics, UCAN reported.
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints approved the inquiry on October 24; however, the archdiocese did not publicly announce this development until November 7.
The development comes after the archdiocese officially concluded its 15 March 2022-15 March 2024 diocesan inquiry into Bashir’s martyrdom. The young man was killed on 22 June 1994 while preventing a suicide bomber from entering a packed church on 15 March 2015. He was only 20-years-old and is the second native Pakistani Servant of God in the history of the Catholic Church in Pakistan
The archdiocesan monthly publication, The Catholics: Lahore Focus, made the news public on Facebook on November 7
“Congratulations to the faithful: a milestone in Akash Bashir’s path to beatification,” it stated, adding, “This important milestone celebrates the courage and faith of this young layman who gave his life to protect others in 2015.”
I knew the work was in process. We love the photo of our son used in the notification. I wish to see him venerated as a saint in my lifetime
Bashir Emmanuel, father of Akash Bashir
Bashir Emmanuel, Akash’s father said, “I knew the work was in process. We love the photo of our son used in the notification. I wish to see him venerated as a saint in my lifetime.”
The postulator general of the Salesians, Father Pierluigi Cameroni said, “This is a great success, the result of the passionate and competent work of the members of the Diocesan Tribunal and those who contributed to it, in particular the Historical Commission and the vice-postulator, Father Gabriel Cruz sdb.”
Father Cameroni will now ask the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to appoint a relator to lead the preparation of the Positio super martyrio of Bashir, Fides reported on November 8.
“Today the Catholic community is deeply happy about this further step forward. We are grateful to God for the gift of Akash and for his testimony. People here pray incessantly. … And I can say that spiritual miracles of conversion and consolation are happening,” Father Lazar Aslam of the Capuchin Order in the General Custody “Mariam Siddeeqa” in Pakistan and superior of the Franciscan Community.
“Akash reminds us of another young man, Carlo Acutis… They are two young men with a heart. Personalities like Akash and Carlo show the fruits that closeness to the heart of God produces in life and are an inspiration for our young people to walk the path of holiness of life in our country, in our nation,” Father Aslam said, according to Fides.
Some Catholics, who preferred to remain anonymous, expressed surprise that such significant news was not made public and widely shared, according to UCAN. Some suggested that the crisis in the archdiocese, triggered by Archbishop Sebastian Shaw’s recent suspension for irregularities, led Church officials to adopt a low profile.
However, Father Akram Javed, the parish priest at St. John’s Catholic Church—where the blast that killed Bashir and others occurred—expressed hope for a successful sainthood process. He noted that the archdiocese has been silent because all the bishops, including the apostolic administrator, were occupied with their annual conference.
“God will make things better,” Father Javed said.
