ICC Note:
Yesterday, Indian priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil was finally freed from ISIS captivity after more then a year. According to reports, Oman authorities in addition to Yemeni forces were able to rescue Father Tom from ISIS militants. Since is kidnapping in March 2016, many feared Father Tom would never be returned. Fortunately, with much support from the Vatican, Indian Government, and others, Father Tom has been freed without too much harm.
09/13/2017 India (CNS) – Indian Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted by Islamic State militants in Yemen and held captive for more than a year, was freed.
According to Oman’s state-run news agency ONA, Father Uzhunnalil was “rescued” by Oman authorities “in coordination with the Yemeni parties.”
Upon his release, the Salesian priest “expressed thanks to God almighty and appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos (of Oman). He also thanked his brothers and sisters and all relatives and friends who called on God for safety and release,” ONA reported Sept. 12.
Father Uzhunnalil was kidnapped March 4, 2016, from a home for the aged and disabled run by the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, Yemen. Four Missionaries of Charity and 12 others were murdered in the attack.
“We express our deep gratitude to God for the happy conclusion of this incident,” Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general of the Indian bishops’ conference, told Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Sept. 12.
He also expressed the bishops’ “immense gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Foreign Affairs, for having worked tirelessly for the release of Father Tom Uzhunnalil. In several meetings, the foreign minister assured us that the (Indian) government would do everything possible to release him.”
Bishop Mascarenhas also thanked Pope Francis, “who has used all his influence” to ensure the Salesian priest’s release.
After his release, the Vatican issued a statement thanking “all those who worked for his release, and especially His Majesty the sultan of Oman and the competent authorities of the sultanate.”
The statement said Father Uzhunnalil would stay with the Salesian community in Rome for a few days before returning to India.
Sister Mary Prema Pierick, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, said she was “overwhelmed with joy for this good news.”
“We never abandoned the hope that one day Father Tom would be released. His photograph is attached to Mother Teresa’s tomb. The sisters, the poor and the people prayed every day for his liberation. We give glory to God and thank all those who prayed and worked untiringly for the release of Father Tom,” Sister Prema told AsiaNews Sept. 12.
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