The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia in UAE has declared that they are making all efforts to rescue Kerala priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted by ISIS terrorists in March from an old age home at Aden in Yemen, that was being run by the Missionaries of Charity.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Vicariate said that the church had strong reasons to believe that the priest was still alive.
The church also stated that they were communicating with negotiators through various ways to rescue Father Uzhunnalil.
Mentioning the recent released video of Fr Uzhunnalil where he is seen begging for help for his release, the UAE Church said that though the person in the video has close resemblance to the priest, the date of its creation and the circumstances under which it was recorded were unknown.
"The bishop, Paul Hinder, has led the prayers throughout the churches in the vicariate for Fr Tom and the other Christians remaining in the country. During the Christmas mass on the midnight of December 25, the bishop and thousands of believers who gathered at the cathedral parish of St Joseph's in Abu Dhabi, prayed for the safety of Fr Tom. We request the faithful not to spread unconfirmed reports on social media but to continue their prayers for Fr Tom,” the statement from the Church says, as quoted by The Times of India.
In the recently released video, though the authenticity of the clip is yet to be confirmed, a pale Father Tom is heard speaking softly in a measured tone, asking why no one seems to be doing anything to free him from the custody of his captors.
Following criticism from the CPI(M), External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in a series of tweets, assured that being an Indian citizen, Father Tom's live is "precious."
Pointing out that the central government had been successful in getting Father Alex Prem Kumar and Judith D'Souza released from Afghanistan, Swaraj said that "the government will spare no effort to secure Fr Tom's release from captivity."