(PHOTO: FACEBOOK/ TOM UZHUNNALIL)
Father Tom Uzhunnalil
Christians throughout the world fear
that a Salesian priest who was kidnapped during a deadly attack in Yemen
earlier this month might be executed by Islamic State jihadists on Good
Friday, following an unconfirmed online report from the Franciscan
Sisters of Siessen.
Father Tom Uzhunnalil is believed to
have been kidnapped by IS (also known as ISIS or ISIL) during an attack
at a Missionaries of Charity-run retirement home in Aden, Yemen, on
March 4. During the attack, the militants killed 16 people, including
four nuns.
After the attack no traces of Uzhunnalil were found, but a neighbor reportedly witnessed militants taking the priest and driving away with him in a car.
Several posts on social media sites like Twitter and
Facebook have stated that IS has not only tortured Uzhunnalil but also
plans to execute and crucify him on Good Friday, a holiday meant to
commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Although the rumors have not yet been confirmed, a Facebook post by the South African-based Franciscan Sisters of Siessen on Sunday likely added to the social media frenzy.
"Was informed that the Salesian priest,
Fr.Tom who was kidnapped by ISIS from the Missionaries of Charity Home
in Yemen is being tortured and is going to be crucified on Good Friday,"
the post states. "This calls for serious concerted prayers from all of
us. Can we all pray 3 'I Believe for the conversion of people who are
persecuting Christians' & 3 Hail Marys for Fr. Tom."
As Uzhunnalil is from Kerala, India, and
has been serving the mission in Yemen for the past four years, a
spokesman for the Salesian province in Bangalore said that the order has
received "absolutely no information" about the allegations that
Uzhunnalil will be executed, adding that "no one has claimed
responsibility."
"These are all rumors," Father Mathew Valarkot told UCA News.
Although Sister Sally, a nun who survived the March 4 attack, claimed inher account of
the incident that the attackers were men from IS, Valarkot reiterated
that no one has yet to claim responsibility for the attack and added
that the Salesians have constantly pressured the government for answers.
"When no one has claimed responsibility
for the kidnapping, how do we know other detail," he said. "But even
today we do not know who has taken him and what their motives are
because no one has claimed responsibility."
Valarkot further urged "we need to be
patient with the system." He explained that an Indian Jesuit who was
kidnapped by Islamic extremists in Afghanistan was released after nine
months thanks to efforts from the Indian government.
In her eyewitness account, Sally told of
how she witnessed militants killing fellow nuns and employees of the
retirement home. She explained that the militants killed most of their
victims by shooting them in the head and smashing their heads.
Sally also said prior to the attack, Uzhunnalil had told the nuns to "be ready for martyrdom."
Although IS has not explicitly claimed
responsibility for the attack, the group has claimed responsibility for a
number of attacks in Aden, including the assassination of the city's governor and a suicide bombing that killed 11.
0 comments:
Post a Comment