Bangalore: An Indian
Catholic priest who was kidnapped by The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL) terrorist in Yemen earlier this month is due to be crucified on Good
Friday, as claimed by the militant group.
The priest, Tom
Uzhunnalil, 56, who has roots in Kerala, was kidnapped from a retirement home
in Yemen during an attack by Islamic extremists on March 4. Four gunmen posing
as relatives of one of the guests at the home burst inside the retirement home
and shot 16 people , including four nuns during the incident at the home in
Aden, which is run by missionaries.
No one has claimed
responsibility for the attack, and officials in Yemen are said to have blamed ISIL,
although al-Qaeda are also present in the area.
A group of South
African nuns called the Franciscan Sisters of Siessen posted this week on a
social networking site: “Was informed that the Salesian priest, Father Tom who
was kidnapped by ISIL from the Missionaries of Charity Home in Yemen is being
tortured and is going to be crucified on Good Friday. This calls for serious
concerted prayers from all of us.”
A
member of Bangalore's Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, Bangalore, of which Father
Uzhunnalil was previously a part of, said: "There is no information about
the whereabouts of Father Tom. We are only praying for him."
Members
of Father Tom's order have denied that he is due to be crucified, saying they
have no information on his health or whereabouts. Father Mathew Valarkot,
spokesman for the Salesians' Bangalore province said: “But even today we do not
know who has taken him and what their motives are because no one has claimed
responsibility.”
No comments:
Post a Comment