Vatican City: The Blessed Sacrament of Martyrdom, martyrdom in the faith of Jesus, has been restored. The nomination process was accelerated after Pope Francis confirmed yesterday the miracle of his mediation. The Pope has authorized the appointment of Cardinal Angelo Bechu on Friday (21/02/20) for the naming of the saints.
Pillai was a devout Hindu in the 18th century when he was an official in Travancore. He was born on April 23, 1712, in Nattalam in Kanyakumari District. Prior to his conversion, he was known as Neelakanta Pillai. In the Battle of Kulachal, the Travancore army defeated the Dutch army. Consequently, King Marthanda Varma, the reformer of the Travancore army, entrusted Delanoi to the commander of the Dutch army. Maharaja Pillai was appointed as Delanoi’s assistant. It was from him that Pillai heard about Jesus Christ.
Later, on 17 May 1745, Buhari, a missionary at Nemom, in southern Travancore, was baptized in the name of Lazarus, meaning the help of Pillay. Pillay could not refrain from proclaiming the Christ he knew. Pillai preached Christ everywhere in Ramapuram, Vadakkekulam, and Neyyattinkara. This infuriated the Raja’s servants and Pillai’s colleagues. With the help of Ramayyan Dalawa, who hated the Namboodiris, they resorted to conspiracy against Pillai and presented the Rajya Samsa with the charge of treason.
‘If you want life, leave Christ.’ The king ordered. Pillai who loved Christ more than his life, but with Christ. The king ordered that Pillai’s limbs be bound and beaten 30 feet each day. Even the passer-by tortured Pillai. Smoke with chili wrapper, pressure extinguishers such as extinguishing buffalo on a burned-out sunbathing and rubbing wounds on the wound. He was jailed for four years.
In 2004, the Tamil Nadu Branch of the Council of Bishops of India recommended to the Vatican that Deva’s help be elevated to the status of Holy See. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI approved the measures to raise Pillai to the status of martyr. On December 2, 2012, the Catholic Church declared him blessed.
Cardinal Angelo Amato, the head of the Congregation for the Naming of the Saints, described Pillay as a symbol of Indian conscience and Tamil. His life and places of martyrdom are in the Kottar diocese of Kanyakumari District. His tomb at St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, Nagercoil, is regularly visited by thousands of believers. The church celebrates the feast of the Most Blessed Sacrament of Pillai on January 14.
