British war hero who was murdered defending lepers in Africa is on the road to sainthood after Vatican begins process to bestow the honour on him
- British war hero who became a missionary in Africa will be recognised as a saint
- John Bradburne, 58, was yesterday put on the road to sainthood by the Vatican
- He was murdered defending a leper colony in 1979 during Zimbabwe’s civil war
- During the Second World War, he also spent a year in Burma with the Chindits
John Bradburne, 58, pictured, was shot in the back and dumped by a roadside in 1979 after he refused to abandon a leper colony during Zimbabwe’s civil war
A British war hero who became a missionary and was murdered defending lepers in Africa was yesterday put on the road to sainthood by the Vatican.
John Bradburne, 58, pictured, was shot in the back and dumped by a roadside in 1979 after he refused to abandon a leper colony during Zimbabwe’s civil war.
The Vatican has issued a formal decree to begin a process that will conclude with his recognition as a saint.
His ‘Cause for Canonisation’ will open with a mass at the Mutemwa colony in Zimbabwe on September 5.
Kate McPherson, of the John Bradburne Memorial Trust, said: ‘What he put himself through for his patients is astounding.’
A file on Bradburne’s life will now be sent to the Vatican and a search for the miracles to confirm his sainthood will begin.
During the Second World War, he spent a year in Burma with the Chindits, a special operations unit dropped behind Japanese lines to attack supply routes.
The Vatican has issued a formal decree to begin a process that will conclude with his recognition as a saint. Mr Bradburne became a missionary and was murdered defending lepers in Africa