Persecution of Indian Christians Not A New Thing

Indian martyr an example for Christians suffering persecution
ICC Note:
Persecution of Christians has always been. It’s nothing new to believers in India. This article shares the story of an 18^th century Indian martyr. The story is shared to encourage those persecuted and is “an amazing and huge testimony for India today, because the Church in India in our times is also being persecuted, but she maintains her faith in Christ.”
 
07/05/2012 India (CAN)- The head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato, called an 18th century Indian martyr a shining example for Christians today who are suffering persecution.
In an interview with the Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano for its July 4 edition, Cardinal Amato called the story of Devasayam Pillai “truly extraordinary.”
“He was a Hindu who belonged to the high caste of the warriors. When he converted to Christianity he was criticized and suffered persecution at the hands of his Hindu co-nationals, but that was not the extent of his sufferings,” Cardinal Amato recounted.
“He was imprisoned and subjected to all kinds of torture, but he persevered heroically to the end so as not to renounce his baptismal faith.”
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Local officials were infuriated by Pillai’s conversion because he interacted with people from other casts. He was falsely accused of revealing state secrets to rival groups and European nationals.
He was arrested on February 23, 1749, and was subjected to torture. For three years he was taken from city to city to show people what would happen to those who converted from Hinduism to Christianity.
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Devasayan Pallai was shot on January 14, 1752 in the town of Aralvaimozhi. His body was left on a pile of rocks for wild animals to devour. However, his remains were preserved by locals and buried under the altar at the Church of St. Francis in Kottar.
In his remarks to the Vatican daily, Cardinal Amato called Pallai “an amazing and huge testimony for India today, because the Church in India in our times is also being persecuted, but she maintains her faith in Christ.”
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