Bengaluru: Fr Tom Uzhunnalil narrated his abduction story at a press meet in Bangalore on Saturday (September 30) along with Fr Jose Koyickal, Vice Provincial of Bangalore Province and two other priests. The press meet held at the Provincial House, Bangalore, Fr Tom revealed the entire incident to the media.

He said he was praying in the chapel after the Mass in the morning of March 4, 2016. He went out hearing some gun shots. He saw a group of unidentified persons barging into the old age home. He found the security guards of the old age home lying in a pool of blood. When one of the captors saw Fr Tom, he asked his identity. Fr Tom told him he was an Indian. They made him sit on a chair by the side of the security room. Fr Tom witnessed the death of four Sisters, the gardener, the security man and a boy. Fr Tom said a prayer in his mind. He thought his term would be the next. But they tied him and put him in the boot of the car.

The first group that kidnapped Fr Tom seemed to have handed him over to another group; He was shifted from place to place at least on four occasions. Each time he was shifted, he was blind-folded. Whenever the captors went near him he was asked to cover his eyes. Fr Tom revealed that the captors did not torture or ill-treat him. Initially, for some time they tied his hands and legs. They gave him food and medicine when he was sick once or twice. Sometimes they made videos for their appeal. They pretended to harm and torture him, with some noise in the background. However, they never harmed him, he unfolded.

“I had no communication with the world outside for 18 months. I was confined to a room that had ventilation. I had a small sponge like mattress on which I used to sit and sleep. I had fever twice, but it did not persist. On another occasion I had severe shoulder pain. But that too disappeared in two days. I weighed 82 kilograms when I was abducted. Now I am 55 Kilograms. My captors gave me medicine to control my sugar level, as I am a sugar patient, when they saw my weight was quickly reducing.”

Fr Tom said his captors spoke only in Arabic which he could not understand nor did they seem to understand English.

There was loneliness and uncertainty during the 18 months of captivity, admitted Fr Tom but he never lost hope, he said. He was not unduly afraid of death. “I knew the prayers of the Mass by heart and so celebrated the Mass in my heart every day.” He prayed the rosary and prayed for the Sisters whom he saw being shot dead. “As I was alone in the room, I used to sing, reflect and say as many prayers as I could. I was sure that there would be lot of people in the world praying for me.”

“I want to thank everyone. The honourable President of India Ram Nath Kovind, former President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, the External Affairs Minister Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, Pope Francis and the leaders of the Church, Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said and the Sultanate of Oman, the Rector Major of the Salesian congregation, Bishop Paul Hinter, the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, leaders of the different political parties, the Don Bosco Bangalore Province, my own family members, all the people irrespective of religion from across the world who prayed for me, the media professionals especially those from India. Thanks to your prayers, I am back, unharmed.”

Fr Tom said the whole episode has deepened his faith and has brought him closer to God. “I went to Yemen to be present with the people and the Sisters. Those Sisters became martyrs and are now praying for me in heaven. I feel God wants me to pray for my captors, for their conversion and for peace in the world.”

On arrival in New Delhi, he said, he met the Prime Minister and thanked him. He wished Fr Tom all the best and reminded him to take care of his health. The External Affairs Minister, Mrs Sushma too was very cordial and she welcomed him and recounted the efforts taken by the government towards the release.

Fr Tom said he was recuperating in Rome for a few days. Fr Joyce, Provincial, and Fr Jose Koyickal, Vice Provincial, accompanied him from New Delhi to Bangalore on September 29.

Sisters of Mother Teresa went to Yemen on invitation from Yemen Government. She set up three places near Aden. Before taking the job, Mother Teresa had one pre-condition that the Sisters required spiritual life and priests should be allowed to look after them spiritually. During the war between the terrorists and the government forces the parish church where Fr Tom was the parish priest was destroyed. Thereafter, Fr Tom was staying in the campus of Sisters since 1987. He used to visit three other centres as well. At least 100 bed-ridden people were looked after at the place Fr Tom was staying. It was in 2015 the war broke out between the government Army and the terrorists. Looting and bombing were the order of the day. Gun shot was heard everywhere. He was caught up in the cross-fire. Still he carried on at the place. Fr Tom said, “I learnt from this experience I belong to the whole world. He said he was told the Hindu brothers made poojas for him. A sizable number of Muslim population at Erattupetta near his native place also prayed for him to Allah.

To another query from the journalists as to why he was not ill-treated by the captors, he said it could be due to the prayers and sacrifices of so many people from all over the world that softened their hearts. Yet again to another question, what is his next plan, Fr Tom said, “I will do what Fr Provincial assigns to me.” A journalist asked whether any government agency made any enquiry in Delhi. He said no one has questioned him or made any enquiry about the abduction and release. He said his next mission is to pray for peace as prayer can do wonders. “That is my next mission.”

Some background information on Fr Tom and the Salesian Congregation

The vice provincial, read out a text on behalf of Fr Tom as he had sore throat and was too weak to speak too long at a stretch. He had to drink warm water at short intervals. In 1973, the government of Yemen officially invited the Sisters of Charity of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta to open some centres in Yemen to look after the destitute and abandoned people there. Mother was willing, but told the government that being nuns who live consecrated life, they need to attend the Eucharist every day, besides being spiritually taken care of. The government understanding the genuineness of their difficulty permitted a Catholic priest each to stay as chaplains for the Sisters in each of the four centres that the Sisters opened. Each centre had nearly 100 bed ridden people each whom the Sisters had been looking after with great love and care. From 1987, the Don Bosco Fathers had been the chaplains for the Mother Teresa Sisters working in Yemen. Also, with permission from the government, the Fathers started catering to the spiritual needs of the Catholic population in Yemen settled or working there. Fr. Tom reached Yemen in 2010 and was serving the Sisters, the inmates and the Catholic population there.

A civil war that broke out in 2015 suddenly changed the entire situation in Yemen. The open war between the army and the rebel forces led to heavy casualities of life and property. The government of India evacuated its citizens from Yemen. The Sisters who looked after the desolate bed ridden people wouldn’t come away leaving their helpless subjects exposed to bombing and looting. Fr Tom was in India when the war broke out. Although the situation was dangerous Fr. Tom felt the inner call and decided to ensure his presence and service to the hundreds of people caught up in the cross-fire including the Sisters, the inmates and the many who refused to leave them hoping the situation would slowly improve. In spite of bombing and destruction all around, week- long curfews and travel restrictions, Fr Tom continued his service there, consoling and comforting the people who were suffering and supported the Sisters.

Fr Tom, a priest, belonging to the Congregation of the Salesians of Don Bosco, serve in 134 countries across the world, especially among the poorest and the most marginalized. In India, the Don Bosco Fathers, as they are known, work in several big cities, trying to rescue and re-habilitate child labourers and street children. In some of the cities this work is done in direct collaboration with the government. Another area of focus of Don Bosco Fathers is formal and non-formal technical training for poor youth looking for education and employment. Besides, Don Bosco Fathers run several schools, colleges, orphanages, youth centres all geared towards empowerment of the poor especially children and youth.

Fr. Tom, who originally hails from Ramapuram, Kottayam district of Kerala became a priest in the Don Bosco Congregation in 1990. Since then he worked in places such as Kolar, Hassan, Bhadravathi and Bangalore in Karnataka and Kochi in Kerala imparting non formal technical training to poor rural youth. Hundreds of his students are well placed today and think of him with gratitude.

Earlier in the day, during a concelebrated thanksgiving Mass at Provincial House, Fr Joyce, Provincial, in the homily, said the greatest challenge for religious life is to remain faithful as it is a permanent commitment.

Fr Provincial said saints are people who have taken Christ seriously. We will also be salt of the earth as we are all inspired by the experience of Fr Tom. Jesus, during the last supper, said, ‘Do this in my memory,’ and had broken his body and given to the disciples. Fr Tom’s experience was very strong invoking of faith. The CBCI (Catholic Bishops Conference of India) at it Standing Committee Meeting in Bangalore for the last few days where Fr Tom addressed the bishops and cardinals said, ‘do not be afraid to take risk.’ The president of CBCI and others encouraged Fr Tom to carry on with his mission without fear. Fr Provincial also narrated stories of experience of bishops and others in similar situations of Fr Tom.