{"id":17518,"date":"2016-12-26T21:32:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-26T21:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/kidnapped-salesian-priest-appeals-for-popes-help-67894\/"},"modified":"2016-12-26T21:32:00","modified_gmt":"2016-12-26T21:32:00","slug":"kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Kidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Aden, Yemen, Dec 26, 2016 \/ 02:32 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A Salesian priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4 personally appealed for Pope Francis\u2019 help in a video posted to YouTube Dec. 26.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Pope Francis\u2026as a father, please take care of my life,\u201d Father Tom Uzhunnalil said. \u201cMy health is deteriorating; I am in need of hospitalization soon. Please come to my help quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The priest also urged the Church and government in his home nation of India to come to his aid.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral months have gone by and my captors have made many contacts with the government of India to get me released,\u201d the priest said. \u201cI am very sad that nothing has been done seriously in my regard.<\/p>\n

The five-minute video was the first communication from Fr. Tom since his abduction March 4 during an armed attack on a Missionaries of Charity-run retirement home in Aden, the provincial capital of Yemen. The priest had overgrown hair and spoke slowly from a prepared script.<\/p>\n

\u201cI request also the other bishops all over the world to come to my help to save my life,\u201d Fr. Tom said. \u201cI very much depressed. I request also my fellow human beings of different governments to consider me as a human person and come to my help on a humanitarian level to get me released and save my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need your help. Please help me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope Francis did appeal for the priest\u2019s release April 10 after his Sunday Regina Caeli address in St. Peter\u2019s Square.<\/p>\n

\u201cI renew my appeal for the freeing of all kidnapped persons in armed conflict zones,\u201d the Pope said. \u201cIn particular, I wish to remember Salesian priest Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted in Aden, Yemen last March 4.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. The Indian government has reportedly had difficulty brokering for the priest\u2019s release because of political instability in Yemen.<\/p>\n

Fr. Tom garnered international attention last spring when rumors spread that he was to be crucified on Good Friday. Those rumors were later discredited.<\/p>\n

Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since March of 2015, when Shia rebels attempted to oust Yemen\u2019s Sunni-led government. Saudi Arabia has led a pro-government coalition. Both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have set up strongholds in the country amid the power vacuum. More than 6,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n

The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia urged Christians to pray for Fr. Tom in a Sept. 2 interview with CNA.<\/p>\n

\u201cFr. Tom\u2026had returned to Yemen, asking me and the provincial for permission,\u201d Bishop Paul Hinder told CNA. \u201cI told him: \u2018If you want, I will help you enter my country.\u2019 Certainly today it\u2019s painful to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I am still convinced it was right,\u201d Bishop Hinder said. \u201cIn war you can never predict what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aden, Yemen, Dec 26, 2016 \/ 02:32 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Salesian priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4 personally appealed for Pope Francis’ help in a video posted to YouTube Dec. 26.<\/p>\n

“Dear Pope Francis…as a father, please take care…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-middle-east-africa"],"yoast_head":"\nKidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aden, Yemen, Dec 26, 2016 \/ 02:32 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Salesian priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4 personally appealed for Pope Francis’ help in a video posted to YouTube Dec. 26. “Dear Pope Francis…as a father, please take care...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Aden, Yemen, Dec 26, 2016 \/ 02:32 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Salesian priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4 personally appealed for Pope Francis’ help in a video posted to YouTube Dec. 26. “Dear Pope Francis…as a father, please take care...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-12-26T21:32:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Fr_Tom_Uzhunnalil__Credit_ANS_Agenzia_Info_Salesiana_CNA_3_29_16.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/\",\"name\":\"Kidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-12-26T21:32:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-12-26T21:32:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Aden, Yemen, Dec 26, 2016 \/ 02:32 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Salesian priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4 personally appealed for Pope Francis’ help in a video posted to YouTube Dec. 26. “Dear Pope Francis…as a father, please take care...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Kidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\",\"name\":\"CNA Daily News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CNA Daily News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help","description":"Aden, Yemen, Dec 26, 2016 \/ 02:32 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Salesian priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4 personally appealed for Pope Francis’ help in a video posted to YouTube Dec. 26. “Dear Pope Francis…as a father, please take care...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help","og_description":"Aden, Yemen, Dec 26, 2016 \/ 02:32 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Salesian priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4 personally appealed for Pope Francis’ help in a video posted to YouTube Dec. 26. “Dear Pope Francis…as a father, please take care...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2016-12-26T21:32:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Fr_Tom_Uzhunnalil__Credit_ANS_Agenzia_Info_Salesiana_CNA_3_29_16.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/","name":"Kidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-12-26T21:32:00+00:00","dateModified":"2016-12-26T21:32:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Aden, Yemen, Dec 26, 2016 \/ 02:32 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A Salesian priest kidnapped in Yemen on March 4 personally appealed for Pope Francis’ help in a video posted to YouTube Dec. 26. “Dear Pope Francis…as a father, please take care...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/12\/kidnapped-priest-appeals-for-popes-help\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Kidnapped priest appeals for Pope\u2019s help"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17518\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}