Pope remembers Blessed Pillai of India, appeals for people with disabilities

December 03, 2012 - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday recalled India’s newest Blessed, Devasahayam Pillai, calling the martyr “a faithful layman.” After reciting Sunday’s midday ‘Angelus’ prayer with the faithful and tourists in St. Peter’s Square, the Holy Father recalled Sunday’s beatification of Devasahayam Pillai, in Nagercoil in southern India’s Kottar Diocese. The 18th high-caste Hindu convert to Catholicism was a married man who was killed for his faith. “We join the joy of the Church in India and pray that the new Blessed sustain the faith of the Christians of that great and noble country,” the Pope said. The Pontiff also recalled the International Day for People with Disabilities on Monday, Dec. 3 and appealed to governments to promote disabled people's full participation in society. “Each person, despite his physical and psychological limits, even serious ones, is always invaluable, and must be considered as such,” he said. The Pope encouraged church communities to be attentive and welcoming towards them and said he urged governments to “protect people with disabilities and promote their full participation in society.”