KOTTAYAM: The Salesian congregation in Bangalore has refuted the charge that the Church had not taken steps for the safe release of Fr Tom Uzhunnalil whose latest video has appeared on the YouTube. The congregation told DC that they and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India had been in touch with government channels for Fr Tom’s release. The Church had taken concrete steps along with both international and local diplomatic channels for his safety. Bishop Paul Hinder, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, has led calls for prayer throughout the churches in the Vicariate for Fr. Tom and the few handful of remaining Christians in the country.
During the Christmas Mass on the midnight of December 25, the bishop and the gathering at the Cathedral Parish of St. Joseph’s in Abu Dhabi prayed in silence for Fr. Tom, the congregation said. The family members of Fr. Tom alleged that the Church had not effectively intervened in the matter. “Till now the head of the congregation has not contacted us. The External Affairs Minister is also keeping quiet,” Mr Thomas Uzhunnalil, second cousin of Fr. Tom, told DC. “We have communicated our anxieties to the Bangalore province of the Salesian congregation where he is a member. However, they are yet to take any concrete action,” he added.
“The Salesians are the second biggest Catholic congregation in the world. Is this the way the Church deals with a person who has dedicated his life for the congregation for the past 28 years?” he asked. Father Tom had joined the Salesian congregation’s Bangalore province in 1988. His father’s younger brother too was a member of the congregation and served in Yemen for 15 years. Two of the younger brothers of Father Tom, David Uzhunnalil and Joshy Uzhunnalil, who were working in the USA, returned to the state a few days ago. Mathew Uzhunnalil, the priest’s elder brother, is now in Bangalore.
