18th CE Indian layman Devsahayam is now new Saint of Catholic Church

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HnExpress Mayank Chakravarty, Chennai : Born Neelakandan Pillai in Hindu upper caste family in present-day Kanyakumari, he worked at Travancore palace. In 1745, he converted to Christianity and took the names of Devasahayam and Lazarus. He went on to fight against caste discrimination and was persecuted and then killed.

Devasahayam, who converted to Christianity in the 18th century in the then kingdom of Travancore, was declared a saint by Pope Francis at the Vatican Devasahayam, also known as Lazarus, is the first Indian layman to get sainthood for what the Vatican calls “enduring increasing hardships. This canonisation is a great opportunity for the Church to stand against the prevailing communal poison.



The church should have made this a people’s movement, but they failed and made it a clergy-centric event,” he added. 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.
A group of Indians holding the tricolour cheered from the gathering when Devasahayam’s name was announced.

Lazarus or Devasahayam in Malayalam, translates to “God is my help”. Martyr Saint Devasahayam stood for equality and fought against casteism and communalism. His sainthood comes at a time India is facing a surge in communalism,” said retired IAS officer Devasahayam, who had written to the Vatican, seeking removal of Devasahayam’s caste name.

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