By: Santosh Digal
Bhubaneswar: Even after ten months, there is no “trace” of Indian priest who was abducted last March in Yemen.
“Unfortunately, I do not have any information about Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil. I live in Lebanon and I have no contact with the missionaries in Aden,” Father Khalil Alwan M.L., General Secretary of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient and Vice-Rector of the Sanctuary Our Lady of Lebanon, told MattersIndia on Dec 19.
Salesian Fr. Uzhunnalil, an Indian national, who was abducted March 4, 2016 when four gunmen attacked a Missionaries of Charity-run retirement home in Aden, the provincial capital of Yemen, killing 16 people, including four Missionary of Charity sisters.
Father Alwan was a guest delegate at the eleven plenary assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) that took place from November 28-December 4 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. During this meeting some Indian bishops expressed their concern over Fr. Uzhunnalil saying FABC could explore “a possible way” to know whereabouts of the priest. At that time, FABC officials had requested Father Alwan to look into the matter.
On December 8, MattersIndia contacted Father Alwan to know the status of Fr. Uzhunnalil and his reply was in negative.