Newly beatified Indian lay martyr praised for refusing to reject faith
The life of Blessed Devasahayam Pillai, an 18th-century Catholic layman who was martyred for refusing to refute his faith despite being brutally tortured, was held up as an example for all Christians to embrace.
"(India) can rejoice as this great martyr is now only a step away from being a declared saint," Bishop Peter Remigius of Kottar told Catholic News Service on Monday, a day after 400,000 people attended the beatification ceremony in Nagercoil, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
"It was a wonderful event and the people were really excited," the bishop said.
