KOCHI: Bishops of the Syro Malabar Church congregated here on Thursday to pray for the safety and immediate release of Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, who was kidnapped from Yemen in March last year.
Fifty-seven bishops participated in the prayer meeting organised by the Syro Malabar Church at St. Mary’s Basilica. Cardinal George Alencherry led the prayers. The service began at 7 p.m. and ended at 8.30 p.m. An unauthenticated video of Fr. Uzhunnalil was released just after Christmas. In the video, he had sought the help of the Pope and the government of India for his release. He was abducted by members of Islamic State from the South Yemen city of Aden, where he was working with the Missionaries of Charity.