A 20-year old man is to be the first Pakistani to be nominated for a sainthood.

Kash Bashir has been nominated post-humously; he was killed when intercepting a suicide bomber- attempting to enter a church in Lahore in March 2015.

Bashir's quick-thinking and bravery may have saved up to 1,000 lives, but tragically resulted in his own death.

At the time, he volunteered as a security guard at St John's Catholic Church in Youhanabad; a neighbourhood in Lahore known for being densely-populated by Christians.

The area was a target for suicide bombers protesting the Christian faith.

An attacker detonated a bomb a neighbouring place of worship - Christ Church - resulting in the death of 14 worshippers.

The congregation was in the middle of Sunday prayers when the attack occurred.

When a bomber attempted to gain access to Bashir's church, the courageous Christian stopped him at the gate, prompting the person to detonate the bomb outside.

Over 1,000 people are believed to have been inside the church; the lives saved by Bashir are countless.

The Vatican has awarded him the title of "Servant of God"; he will now be a candidate for a sainthood.

It's believed that he's the first Pakistani person to be nominated for this honour.

However, the road to sainthood is not particularly fast - it can take several years for the process to be completed.

Usually, the initial stages are not undertaken until at least 5 years after the death of the individual nominated.