A London Bridge terror attack hero who saved citizens before being stabbed to death could be made a saint.
Ignacio Echeverria, 39, sacrificed his life when he used his skateboard to beat the attackers during the Borough Market outrage in June 2017.
He later became known as the "skateboard hero" who fearlessly faced the terrorists who were wielding 12-inch knives during their attack.
Ignacio, originally from Spain, had initially planned to meet friends in the park when he saw a man attacking a police officer.
The attacker soon turned his attention to a nearby woman and Ignacio grabbed his skateboard and ran towards the terrorists, striking them with his board.
His bravery saved the lives of several members of the public.
Other attackers started attacking another police officer, and as Ignacio ran toward him, he was stabbed twice in the back and he later died of his wounds.
Ignacio was posthumously awarded the George Medal by Queen Elizabeth and was given Spain's Order of Civil Merit for his heroics.
Skate parks in Alicante and Madrid now bear his name, while a musical titled 'Skate Hero' chronicles the last 24 hours of his life.
Now, he could also be given one of Christianity's highest honours and join the ranks of sainthood, after a bid to canonise him was launched.
Pope Francis announced a fourth and new path to canonisation, known as Oblatio Vitae, to be used if someone lays down their life to save another.
In an apostolic letter, the Pope said: "The heroic offering of life, suggested and sustained by charity, expresses a true, complete and exemplary imitation of Christ."
Eight victims were killed and 48 injured when the three terrorists drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge, then ran on foot into a packed Borough High Street.
After heading south over the River Thames in their vehicle, they started knifing passer-buyers, many of whom had gathered in the popular area to watch the Champions League final.
The terrorists were then shot dead by armed police.
Before his death, Ignacio's father, Joaquin Echeverria, said he wanted to stand up to terrorists if he was caught up in an attack.
He said: "He came to Madrid after the terror attack at Westminster in March 2017.
"We were discussing the bravery of the policeman who died after being stabbed [PC Keith Palmer].
"Ignacio said, 'If I had been skating in Westminster when the attack happened, that policeman would still be alive now'."
Mr Echeverria said he believed his son being made a saint will help others.
He added: "I would like Ignacio's death to be useful. I trust he is already in heaven but if his death helps other people who ask for his intercession, what he did was worthwhile."
After his death, the Echeverria family discovered Ignacio had given religious lessons to Spanish-speaking children at his local parish in Poplar, east London.
Joaquin also called on anyone who knew him to give statements to religious authorities to help back up his bid for sainthood.
His father told a Spanish newspaper: "We need those who knew him to explain what he was like and how they saw him - and testimonies from those who, even without knowing him, have found help in his life and death.
"His life was exemplary in a thousand ways, and he knew how to be aware of others and resist temptations we are all subject to.
"His example shows it is worth being decent even if it costs you your life."
