Prayers and forgiveness will lead people to peace, and not war, guns, and bullets, said Father Tom Uzhunnalil, the Catholic priest who was freed after being kept in captivity allegedly by the ISIS for 18 months in Yemen.
Speaking on the sidelines of Mother Teresa Memorial Awards, of which he was one of the recipients, on Sunday night, Father Uzhunnalil said terrorists are created by the communities and if the communities can be forgiving, there will be peace.
He said freedom is not just doing whatever one wants to do. “It is doing the right thing at the right time and at the right place. Father of the Nation (Mahatma Gandhi) got us freedom not through bullets, but through satyagraha and prayers.”
The priest from Kerala was abducted in March 2016 during an attack on a care home run by Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in the port city of Aden. He was rescued in September this year.
Father Uzhunnalil said he never felt terrorised in captivity. “If we surrender to God’s will, he will give us grace, understanding, and calmness of mind to remain peaceful from within, and rest will be taken care of. I never had any dreadful dreams, nightmares, fear, trembling, sweating or anything like that.”
He said the need of the hour is to forgive and love one another. “Avoid situations that will instigate people to revolt.”
The priest was honoured with the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for his extraordinary service at the care home.
Actor Priyanka Chopra and various organisations, who have worked in helping refugees, were also presented the award.
