By JD Flynn, The Pillar, April 9, 2024

Today is an Easter Tuesday, and you’re reading The Tuesday Pillar Post.

On April 8, 1321, 703 years ago, a trio of Franciscans and a layman were traveling through northern India, trying to make their way to China.

When they first arrived in Mumbai, they were greeted warmly by Christians, who fed them, housed them, and supplied them for their journey. 

The Franciscans arrived more than 200 years before the Portuguese Jesuits who would eventually find their place in the area, and they were probably surprised to find a thriving Christian community — traditionally attributed to the missionary work of the Apostle Thomas, and also to the fourth-century Middle-Eastern Christians who emigrated to the region.

But the Franciscan missionaries in India didn’t get very far east before they found themselves in difficulty. 

By one historical account — the most common — the men were staying with a Muslim family, where they observed the husband beating his wife. When the wife took her husband to court, she mentioned that the missionaries were witnesses to the violence. 

Three men were called to court — the Franciscans Thomas of Tolentino and James of Padua, along with the layman, Demetrius of Tiflis. 

There at court, a discussion of religion broke out, as the missionaries explained why they were in India.

One of the Franciscans, Thomas of Tolentino, told the shari’a judge they were there to preach Christ. And when Thomas was asked about Mohammed, he called him a “son of perdition.”

The men were executed for blasphemy. The fourth Franciscan, Peter of Sienna, was executed a few days later.

The Franciscan community venerated the men as martyrs soon after they were killed. While they were all regarded as beati from the fourteenth century onward, their cult of devotion was approved by Pius VII in 1809.

Anywho, I tell you this story for two reasons. The first is that today, April 9, is traditionally the day on which the martyrs — Thomas of Tolentino and companions — are remembered at the altar.

But also, because Christians in India continue to face a rising tide of violence, perpetrated in many Indian states by Hindu nationalists. 

Pastors and priests are often charged with “forcing conversions,” even when it is manifestly clear they’re meeting with Christians or providing them catechesis and pastoral care. And in some regions, mob violence is a fact of life for Christians, who often see liturgies and other services forcibly canceled by local authorities as a way of quelling mob demands. 

In short, Christians face real and rising persecution in India, and we should pray for them.

Blessed Thomas of Tolentino and his companions certainly do.

This article first appeared HERE.