Kidnapped Kerala priest pleads to Pope Francis, Indian government for help

Jardine Malado Thursday, December 29, 2016

People stand outside an old people's home after it was attacked by gunmen in the Yemeni port of Aden March 4, 2016. | Reuters/Stringer

Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, a priest who was kidnapped in Yemen last March, appeared in a new video asking Pope Francis and the Indian government to help secure his release.

Uzhunnalil, who hails from India's Kerala state, was abducted by suspected ISIS militants when they attacked an old people's home in the Yemeni port city of Aden on March 4. The attack left 12 elderly people and four nuns dead.

In the video, Uzhunnalil said that he is "very sad and depressed" that nothing has been done to secure his freedom.

"If I were a European priest, I would have been taken more seriously. I am from India. I am perhaps not considered as of much value," the priest said, according to Christian Today.

"Nothing has been done by Pope Francis or the Bishop of Abu Dhabi to get me released, in spite of contact being made by my captors... Dear Pope Francis, dear Holy Father, as a father please take care of my life. I am very much depressed. My health is deteriorating," he added.

He also pleaded to other Christians and bishops to come to his aid.

In response to the video, India's Minister of Exterior Affairs Sushma Swaraj said that the government is committed to secure the release Uzhunnalil.

"He is an Indian citizen and the life of every Indian is most precious for us," Swaraj tweeted on Tuesday, as reported by Gulf Times. "We have spared no effort and we will spare no effort to secure Fr Tom's release from captivity," the officer went on to say.

In April, Pope Francis made an appeal for the release of Uzhunnalil as well as the other hostages in conflict zones.

Last June, a video purporting to show the priest being beaten by off-screen assailants was posted on Twitter. Prior to the release of the video, there were rumors that the priest would be crucified on Good Friday, but no evidence was produced, and it was denied by the Indian government.

Indian government spokesman Vikas Swarup said that officials have been in contact with local Yemeni authorities and neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia to secure the safe release of Uzhunnalil.