A Manchester student could become the Catholic Church’s first Gen Z saint

A Manchester student who died aged 21 is being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church, a process that could make him the first Gen Z saint.

Pedro Ballester, who was born in Manchester, died in January 2018 after an aggressive form of cancer stopped him completing his chemical engineering degree at the University of Manchester.

Church authorities are now investigating his life to decide whether he showed what the Catholic Church called “heroic virtue”, a requirement for sainthood.

Pedro’s father said his son lived a normal student life but behaved with unusual consistency and care towards others, even while seriously ill.

“He lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way,” he said. “Being kind every single day, day and night, is very hard. That is what he did.”

Pedro was a numerary member of Opus Dei, an organisation that forms part of the Catholic Church and aims to help members of the church to “aim at holiness in their ordinary lives.”

His father, a surgeon who worked in Huddersfield, said church officials questioned him for three hours about Pedro’s character and daily behaviour.

Pedro was treated at The Christie cancer hospital in Manchester, where his family said he built friendships easily with patients of all faiths and none.

During his illness, he met Pope Francis through a charity that helped young people with cancer meet public figures.

Pedro brought a card signed by fellow patients to the Pope and told him he was offering his suffering for the Church.

His father said the moment was emotional and memorable, even if the exact words were forgotten.

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“I remember the Pope’s gaze,” he recalled, “there was so much love.”

After Pedro’s death, more than 500 people attended his funeral at the Church of the Holy Name in Manchester.

The mourners included senior Catholic figures, with one future cardinal travelling from the Vatican to attend.

Pedro was buried in Southern Cemetery in Manchester, close to other well-known Catholic figures from the city, where he is already attracting “pilgrims”.

Jack Valero of Catholic organisation Opus Dei, which is promoting the sainthood push, said: “Devotion to Pedro has spread throughout the world and we receive reports from people of different ages and countries who find Pedro inspiring.”

Opus Dei shared a belief that young figures like Pedro show how faith could be lived in modern student life.

The Catholic Church has not yet made any decision on Pedro’s status. Only the Pope can formally declare someone a saint.

Featured images via Opus Dei and Unsplash