I trust
that MLK wouldn’t mind my stealing that line from him (and altering it a tiny
bit). It expresses well the sentiments
of the entire Salesian Family at the release of our confrere, Fr. Tom
Uzhunnalil, who was held captive by still-unidentified terrorists from March 4,
2016, till this Tuesday, Sept. 12. Most
of the post comes from material published by ANS.
Originally from the Indian state of Kerala, Fr.
Uzhunnalil, now 59, had been in Yemen four years at the time of his abduction,
serving in the Salesian mission that once included 4 Indian priests but by 2016
had been reduced to only him; he was the last priest left in Yemen, which had
become exceedingly dangerous during the civil war going on there.
Fr. Tom was ministering as the chaplain for the
Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s sisters) at the nursing home they operated
in Aden. He was kidnapped when
unidentified terrorists attacked the home. The killers slew 4 of the sisters and 12 staff.
No one seems to know why they took Fr. Tom away instead of killing him, too, on
the spot.
Two videos of Fr. Tom were publicized during his
captivity, one on Dec. 26 and one a few months later, in which he pleaded for
Pope Francis and others to arrange his release, in part because his health was
breaking down. “My health condition is
deteriorating quickly, and I require hospitalization as early as possible,” he
lamented in a video dated April 15. No
one ever claimed responsibility for the massacre or the kidnapping, and no
ransom demand was ever made public.
 |
| YouTube, Dec. 26, 2016 |
Indian media announced
the news of his release on Sept. 12, reporting that he was in Muscat, Oman.
Sushma Swaraj, India’s foreign minister, confirmed that with a tweet.
Assistance of the Sultan of Oman
Fr. Tom was brought to the Yeman-Oman border, whence an Omani military plane flew him to Muscat, Oman’s capital, on Tuesday morning. Assisting the Indian government, the Holy See, and the Abu Dhabi-based vicar apostolic, the Omani government seems to have played the key role in negotiations with the terrorists.
Fr. Tom was brought to the Yeman-Oman border, whence an Omani military plane flew him to Muscat, Oman’s capital, on Tuesday morning. Assisting the Indian government, the Holy See, and the Abu Dhabi-based vicar apostolic, the Omani government seems to have played the key role in negotiations with the terrorists.
Oman
News Agency issued a statement, published in the Oman Observer newspaper,
to the effect that Sultan Qaboos bin Said, had directed his government to
coordinate with the Yemeni parties to “find a Vatican priest” and arrange his
release. The statement continued: “He has been transferred to Muscat, from where
he will return to his home in Kerala. Tom
Uzhunnalil, a Vatican priest, expressed thanks to God Almighty and appreciation
to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. He also thanked his brothers and sisters and all
relatives and friends who called on God for [his] safety and release.”
 |
| Fr. Tom in Muscat, shortly after his release. Photo: Manorama Online |
“I’m overwhelmed [with joy] for this good news,” Sr.
Mery Prema, Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, told AsiaNews. She added: “And praise God for his mercy. We
never abandoned the hope that one day Fr. 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 Fr. Tom.”
V.A.
Thomas, a cousin of Fr. Tom, told World Watch Monitor, “We are thrilled. There
are no words to describe our joy.”
Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general of
the Episcopal Conference of India, said to the Fides news agency: “First of all, we express our deepest
gratitude to God for the happy conclusion of this affair.” On behalf of the Indian bishops, he thanked
the Indian government, “for making every effort for the liberation of Fr. Tom,”
and especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Foreign Minister Sushma
Swaraj; Pope Francis, “who has used all his influence”; the vicar apostolic of
Southern Arabia, Bishop Paul Hinder, with whom the Indian bishops were “in
constant contact” throughout the ordeal; and the Rector Major and the Salesian provincial
of Bangalore, “for their patience and their deepest faith.”
Among His Confreres, in St.
Peter’s Shadow
From Oman, Fr. Uzhunnalil was transported to Rome
to get medical attention and to spend some unspecified time recuperating among
his confreres in the Salesian community of Vatican City. The Salesian
Congregation considers that the most suitable place to ensure his care and
allow him full recovery.
 |
| Unidentified Salesian, Fr. Tom, and Fr. Francesco Cereda |
At the Salesian
residence in the Vatican, around 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 12 the Indian missionary
priest met with the Rector Major’s vicar, Fr. Francesco Cereda; the Rector
Major himself was still away on a pastoral visit to Malta. The Salesians of the Vatican community and of the
Generalate were present, too, and most notably, Fr. Thomas Anchukandam, a
former professor of Fr. Tom, who as provincial of the Bangalore Province had authorized
Fr. Tom to go to Yemen in the first place. (Fr. Anchukandam is now director of the
Salesian Historical Institute at the Generalate.)
The greeting was immediately fraternal: Fr. Uzhunnalil received an emotional embrace from
each confrere present. For his part, the
former captive did nothing but repeat words of thanks, first of all to God
and the Madonna.
One of his first requests was to pray in the Salesian
community chapel. He also wanted to celebrate Mass, but due to necessary
medical examinations he had to postpone the fulfillment of that wish. He had
been without Mass or the sacraments since his capture. Before the arrival of the medical staff, he
asked for the sacrament of Reconciliation, since this had obviously not been
possible throughout his time in prison.
During the festive evening meal offered him by the
Salesian community, featuring traditional Indian foods, Fr. Uzhunnalil said
that throughout his time as hostage he had continued to celebrate Mass spiritually
every day, remembering by heart some of the readings and the parts of the Mass,
since of course he did not have liturgical texts or bread and wine with which
to celebrate.
Fr. Tom appeared calm and open to questions;
without going into details, he answered the questions of his confreres. He
confirmed he was in the Missionaries of Charity’s chapel at Aden when the
assailants seized him. After being
kidnapped, he said, he was never mistreated and, following his rapid weight
loss, his kidnappers had even begun to provide him with the medication he
needed for his diabetes.
Throughout the period of imprisonment, however, he
wore the same clothes. With his
kidnappers – who spoke Arabic – he communicated with a bit of English. During his imprisonment he was transferred two
or three times, but always blindfolded. “I never thought I would be killed,” he
said.
The ex-chaplain recalled an episode on March 3,
2016, the night before the massacre: the
Missionaries of Charity superior in Aden, commenting on the difficult situation
in which the religious found themselves in Yemen’s war zone, had said it would
be nice to be martyred all together for Christ. But the youngest of the sisters replied, “I
want to live for Christ.” She was the
only one of the five who survived the attack, having hidden herself well when
the assault began.
Rector Major’s Message on the Liberation of Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil
The Rector Major, Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime, expresses great joy and satisfaction in his Sept. 13 statement on the liberation of Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil. Immediately upon his return to Rome from Malta, Fr. Fernandez wanted to write to all the Salesians and members of the Salesian Family around the globe to share the happiness of this long-hoped-for event and to thank all those who collaborated toward Fr. Tom’s release.
“This is the great news: our brother Thomas has been liberated and is
here with us now,” the Rector Major begins, recalling the rapid development of
events the day before.
Fr. Fernandez explained that Fr. Uzhunnalil would remain
at the Salesian Vatican community until the medical staff considered it
appropriate, and later he would be able to return to India.
“There are many things we do not know,” added the
Rector Major regarding the circumstances of his release. “A few months ago, as
a Congregation, we were informed about the contacts being established with the
kidnappers.... In fact, we had news of
his release only yesterday when Fr. Thomas had almost arrived in Italy.”
Fr. Fernandez thanked “the Sultan of Oman and other
authorities of the Sultanate, humanitarian workers, and all those who in
various ways dealt with this case on various occasions with generous commitment.”
He stated further that “the Salesian
Congregation has not been asked to pay any ransom, and we have no news of any
payments having been made.”
The Rector Major spoke of the “great affection” and
“constant concern” of the Bangalore Province and of the entire Congregation during
the long months since Fr. Tom’s abduction.
Finally, the Rector Major gave thanks “to the
thousands and thousands who have prayed with such faith during these 18 months
of our brother Tom’s Gethsemane.”
Finally, Fr. Fernandez said, Fr. Uzhunnalil’s
release is reason for continuing to respond in the future “with greater fidelity
and authenticity to the Lord’s summons and to the charism that he has entrusted
to us and to whom Fr. Tom has delivered his life: the announcement of Jesus and of his Gospel,
the predilection for children and young people from all over the world, and
among them, the poorest and abandoned.”
The whole message is available at http://www.sdb.org/en/rector-major/90-letters-minor-rm/1439-rector-major-fr-tom-uzhunnalil-released-13-09-2017
Pope Francis Meets Fr.
Tom
 |
| L’Osservatore Romano |
Rector Major: “I told [Fr.
Tom] that all his Salesian brothers and the worldwide Salesian Family were
represented with my presence”
After his return from
Malta, the Rector Major was eager to meet his liberated confrere. He did so at
the Salesians’ Vatican residence, where he found Fr. Tom an image of serenity
and peace in the midst of a world full of tension.
“In the afternoon of Sept.
13, I had the joy and the happiness of meeting my beloved brother Fr. Tom, now
in the Salesian community at the Vatican. I greeted him in the Indian style,
and we gave each other a strong hug as a sign of fraternal affection.
“He’s still thin, but I
found him serene, lucid, and with a great inner peace. He expressed his deep
thanks to the Lord and to the Congregation, for he felt strongly accompanied by
the Salesian Family, who prayed for him, along with the religious of other
congregations.
“I was deeply impressed
when I learned that he celebrated the Eucharist [spiritually] every day, even
without bread and wine, offering the Lord what he was going through.
“He lived many simple
things as gifts from God, like sleeping serenely and living every moment in
peace. At the beginning of each new day he continued to pray, speaking with the
Lord, offering himself for everyone, for the Church, for the young.
“Truly, Fr.
Tom gave me a witness of faith that has touched me. We prayed in the chapel of
the Salesian community, and I gave him the blessing of Mary Help of Christians.
I offered the Good Night [to the
community] and said to him that my presence represented all his Salesian
confreres and the Salesian Family across the globe.
“I said him that if he
would allow me, I wished to offer him the Salesian cross I always wear. I handed it to him with affection, and he
received it with deep gratitude, and we the sang the Salve Regina to our common
Mother.
“We also shared a very
simple dinner. I found that he weighs little, eats slowly, but is eating well.
The doctors say he’s weak, but it will just be a matter of time and rest, and
he’ll be well. It was a moment of great fraternity.
“It was a special day,
indeed, marked by Fr. Tom’s meeting with the Holy Father, who received him with
the affection of a father, with the simplicity that characterizes him and the
affection he has for us all.”
Rector Major Gives His Salesian Cross to Fr. Tom
The cross is the one that
is given to every Salesian of Don Bosco when he makes his perpetual
profession. On one side is an image of
Jesus the Good Shepherd, and on the reverse is a quotation from Don Bosco, in
Italian: “Strive to make yourself loved.”
The Rector Major said: “Many times we asked the
Lord that his will be done and that you never lack inner strength. We can see
this has been so.” When he added that he was certain of Mary’s continued
support by Fr. Tom’s side, and “there’s no doubt that she accompanied you every
day like a mother,” the missionary nodded with conviction.
After expressing his closeness to Fr. Tom’s family,
the Rector Major handed him his Salesian cross, and spoke of the full value of
this gesture. “I want to offer you my Salesian cross, which I always wear, so
that you can carry it with you. And with this sign, it is a little as if all
Salesians, as of today, are with you now and forever.”
ANS offers a video of the offering of the cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKvJpZfUcbo&feature=youtu.be
Catholic press coverage of Fr. Tom’s release, his
meeting with Pope Francis, and a press conference that he gave on Saturday, Sept.
16:
http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/salesian-priest-recounts-harrowing-tale-of-his-capture-liberation.cfm
http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/freed-indian-salesian-meets-pope-francis.cfm
An interview that Cardinal Gracias gave to Crux included some questions and replies re: Fr. Tom's release and meeting with the Pope:
An interview that Cardinal Gracias gave to Crux included some questions and replies re: Fr. Tom's release and meeting with the Pope:
ANS's story on his Sept. 16 press conference includes a lot of photos:
 |
| Fr. Tom meets with Missionaries of Charity who attended the press conference. |
Finally (maybe--this is the 2d time I'm updating this list of links), Fr. Tom gave ANS their own interview: http://www.infoans.org/en/sections/interviews/item/3998-rmg-interview-with-father-tom
Well, here's another, from EWTN on the press conference and some related reporting.
Well, here's another, from EWTN on the press conference and some related reporting.
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