Summary
A young English university student, Pedro Ballester, is being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church. Born into a Catholic family and a member of Opus Dei, Ballester died at 21 in 2018 after battling bone cancer. His father, also named Pedro, recounted that his son often befriended patients at Christie’s Hospital where he received treatment for their illness. During his time as an Opus Dei numerary and a student at Imperial College London, Ballester wrote a card to Pope Francis in 2015 offering all sufferings to the pontiff on behalf of himself and the Church. Father Joseph Evans, chaplain at Greygarth Hall, Manchester, said that young people like Ballester are attracted by self-giving and sacrifice during their soft consumerist world. The Vatican is now investigating his life in order to determine if a cause should be opened for him as he could follow the footsteps of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, both of whom were canonized saints. Evens believes that the Church is looking to this new generation of Catholics who have been influenced by young adults like Ballester.
Key Topics
Pedro Ballester, Opus Dei, Canonization
