Martyrdom of Saint Pierre Borie
The Catholic Church in Vietnam was devastated during the Tay Son rebellion in the late 18th century. The Vatican estimates the number of Vietnamese martyrs at between 130,000 and 300,000. The tortures these individuals underwent are considered by the Vatican to be among the worst in the history of Christian martyrdom. Saint Peter Tuy was a Vietnamese priest that was beheaded in 1833.
Officers and soldiers that helped to identify, capture, and kill Christians were greatly rewarded with promotions and gold and silver. Villagers who turned people in were rewarded with gold and silver as well.
The missionary Father Pierre Duclos said: “with gold bars murder and theft blossom among honest people.”