{"id":24677,"date":"2017-09-13T07:34:56","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T07:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acnmalta.org\/?p=24677"},"modified":"2017-09-13T08:55:20","modified_gmt":"2017-09-13T08:55:20","slug":"yemen-fr-tom-released-way-home-india-acn-malta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acnmalta.org\/_oldsite\/2017\/09\/13\/yemen-fr-tom-released-way-home-india-acn-malta\/","title":{"rendered":"YEMEN &#8211; Fr Tom has been released and is on his way home to India &#8211; ACN Malta"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>YEMEN<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Fr Tom has been released and is on his way home to India<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Fr Tom Uzhunnalil has finally been set free after more than 18 months of speculation and uncertainty following his abduction by militants in Yemen. Many reports claimed that IS abducted\u00a0 Fr. Tom but the rumors remain unconfirmed and it is still unclear which group was responsible. Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since March 2015, when Shia rebels attempted to oust Yemen\u2019s Sunni-led government. Saudi Arabia has led a pro-government coalition. Islamic State and al-Qaeda have both set up strongholds in Yemen amid the power vacuum.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The news of Fr Tom\u2019s release was officially announced by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on 12 Sep in a tweet that read: \u201cI am happy to inform that Fr Tom Uzhunnalil has been rescued.\u201d The Salesian Information Agency also reported that he had been released. <\/span>Fr Tom \u00a0will remain for a few days in a Salesian community in Rome before going home to India.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The state-run Oman News Agency claimed that Fr. Tom&#8217;s release was secured by Oman. A released statement said, \u201cIn compliance with the His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Oman in coordination with the Yemeni parties has managed to find a Vatican priest.\u201d It added that Fr Tom \u201chas been transferred to Muscat from where he will return to his home in Kerala.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The statement from Oman News Agency said Fr. Tom had \u201cexpressed thanks to God Almighty\u201d following his release. He also thanked Sultan Qaboos as well as \u201chis brothers and sisters and all relatives and friends who called on God for safety and release.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Fr Tom, a Salesian missionary, attracted considerable attention worldwide following his abduction on 4 March \u00a02016, during an attack on a Missionaries of Charity home in Aden, Yemen, that left 16 people dead including four Sisters. His international profile grew when rumors spread that he was to be crucified on Good Friday, but these were later shown to be false. During the past year, numerous photos and videos have been released showing Fr. Tom, thin and with an overgrown beard, pleading for help to secure his release.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">When Fr Tom went missing, numerous prayer vigils and novenas were organized by the Salesians in Bangalore to pray for his safety. Tireless efforts were made by the government and the Indian bishops to secure his release.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pope Francis was among those who advocated on behalf of Fr. Tom. He called for the priest\u2019s release on 10 April 2016, after his Sunday Regina Coeli address in St. Peter\u2019s Square saying: \u201cI renew my appeal for the freeing of all kidnapped persons in armed conflict zones. In particular, I wish to remember Salesian priest Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted in Aden, Yemen last 4 March.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><em><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">ACN Malta<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>YEMEN Fr Tom has been released and is on his way home to India &nbsp; \u00a0Fr Tom Uzhunnalil has finally been set free after more than 18 months of speculation and uncertainty following his abduction by militants in Yemen. Many reports claimed that IS abducted\u00a0 Fr. Tom but the rumors remain unconfirmed and it is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24679,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-newsletters"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>YEMEN - Fr Tom has been released and is on his way home to India - ACN Malta - Aid to the Church in Need (Malta)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/acnmalta.org\/_oldsite\/2017\/09\/13\/yemen-fr-tom-released-way-home-india-acn-malta\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"YEMEN - Fr Tom has been released and is on his way home to India - ACN Malta - Aid to the Church in Need (Malta)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"YEMEN Fr Tom has been released and is on his way home to India &nbsp; \u00a0Fr Tom Uzhunnalil has finally been set free after more than 18 months of speculation and uncertainty following his abduction by militants in Yemen. 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