New video of Fr. Tom is released with a dire warning

A new video of Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil has been released. Fr. Tom was taken hostage in March of 2016 by terrorists in Yemen. So far, neither the Church nor the Indian government have managed to secure his release.

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

Fr. Tom remains a hostage after 14 months. Is enough being done to secure his release?

Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (CALIFORNIA NETWORK)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
5/9/2017 (6 years ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, Yemen, hostage, release, terrorists, Pope, Church, India

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil has appeared in a new video calling on all people to do more to secure his release.

In the video, Fr. Tom has a long, white beard. He speaks slowly and deliberately in his usual soft tone. He opened by thanking whoever sent him a message of goodwill. The details of the message he received were not released. He criticized the slow response of the Church and the Indian government, which have still not secured his release. He also warned that his health is deteriorating and he will need hospitalization as soon as possible. Finally, Fr. Tom blessed all those who are praying and working for his release.

The terrorists made demands to secure his release, but those demands went unmet. Shortly afterward, rumors surfaced that Fr. Tom had been crucified, on Good Friday no less. The rumors were started by an Austrian cardinal, which lent credibility to the report. However, the rumors were false.

Since then, efforts have been made to secure his release, according to Church and Indian officials. But those efforts have proved unsuccessful.

A novena for the release of Fr. Tom was prayed around the world in January. Pope Francis also released a video petitioning for his release.

Fr. Tom is a hostage in a civil war which has embroiled Yemen since 2015. More than 6,000 people have died in the conflict.