The “Seven Martyrs” were beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1989, making them eligible for eventual sainthood. Thailand fended off being colonized by placating the neighboring colonial powers, Britain and France, with territorial and economic concessions. France whittled away at territory Thailand considered its own, annexing it to its French Indochina colonies of Laos and Cambodia. Inside Thailand, French missionaries — and their churches and followers — were looked upon as the enemy within. As villagers were pressured to renounce their Catholic faith and embrace Buddhism, the French priest, Father Paul Fige, was deported to Laos.

Source: Washington Post November 18, 2019 04:52 UTC