Kochi: Sixty children, dressed as infant Jesus, have written to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for the early release of Father Tom Uzhunnalil, a priest kidnapped in Yemen nearly a year ago.
The children, aged between four and five, belonging to the Sacred Heart Church at Kumbalangi near Kochi, handed over the letters written in Hindi, English and Malayalam to Professor K V Thomas, who represents Ernakulam in the Lok Sabha, the lower house in parliament, at function on February 12.
The children were helped by their parents and priests in writing the letters, a church source said. Thomas said he would hand over the letters to the Prime Minister as early as possible.
Thomas said he would reach Delhi on February 14 and try to get an appointment with the prime minister in the same week. The parish priest of Kumblangi and 20 others would also join him to meet the premier, ndtv.com reported.
Earlier, special prayers and candle light vigils had been held in various parts of Kerala for the release of the 58-year-old Salesian priest, who was abducted on March 4, 2016, from a home for the elderly in Aden, south Yemen.
The priest had made an emotive video plea to Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Pope Francis and the Christian community across the globe to work together for his release.
“If I were a European, I would have been taken more seriously by the authorities and (they) would have got me released. I am a priest from India and perhaps, therefore, I am not considered of much value. I am sad about this,” he had rued, pointing to the fact that a French woman, reportedly kidnapped in the Yemeni city of Sanana, had been freed.