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Who was Devasahayam Pillai, first Indian layman to be declared saint by Pope Francis?

Pope Francis declared 18th-century Indian layman Devasahayam Pillai a saint on Sunday, making him the first person from India with the title.

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Eighteenth-century-born Indian layman Devasahayam Pillai was declared a saint by Pope Francis and the Vatican City on Sunday, making him the first person from India who got bestowed the title of ‘saint’ by the Vatican.

Saint Devasahayam Pillai, who was an Indian layman of the Catholic church, was a significant part of the church’s history in the 18th century. Pillai is considered a martyr by the church and he led a tough battle against casteism in the country.

Pope Francis, 85, canonised Blessed Devasahayam during the Canonisation Mass held in St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican attended by over 50,000 faithful from all over the world as well as government delegations honouring the 10 new saints.

Devasahayam was recommended for the process of Beatification by the Vatican in 2004, at the request of the Kottar diocese, Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council, and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.

Who was Devasahayam Pillai?

Saint Devasahayam Pillai was born during the early 18th century in the Nattalam village in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Pillai was born in a Hindu family but converted to Catholicism, and was considered a martyr after his demise.

Devasahayam was baptized as a catholic in 1745 and assumed the name ‘Lazarus’, which means ‘God is my help’. After converting to Catholicism, Pillai pursued the tough road to fight against casteism and discrimination, which later got him killed.

On January 14, 1752, Devasahayam was shot dead in the Aralvaimozhy forest by soldiers. It is said that soldiers went deep into the forest to shoot Pillai but were unable to fire bullets. The saint then took the gun from them, blessed it, and gave it back, after which the soldiers shot him dead.

He is now considered a martyr by a massive community, and his mortal remains were interred inside what is now Saint Francis Xavier’s Cathedral in Kottar, Nagercoil. Devasahayam was declared Blessed on December 2, 2012, in Kottar, 300 years after his birth.

"While preaching, he particularly insisted on the equality of all people, despite caste differences. This aroused the hatred of the higher classes, and he was arrested in 1749. After enduring increasing hardships, he received the crown of martyrdom when he was shot on 14 January 1752," a note prepared by the Vatican earlier had said.

(With PTI inputs)

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