Father Tom thanked PM Modi and MEA Sushma Swaraj for their support.
Father Tom Uzhunnalil, the Kerala priest who was released recently after more than one-and-a- half years in captivity in Yemen, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and thanked them for their support.
Speaking about his ordeal in Yemen, he said: “God has a mission for all of us & my mission has, to be present for the old and the dying. I have prayed for those who kept me (captive). They gave me food and didn't harm me physically.
He also spoke about his meeting with PM Modi saying the PM asked him to take care of his health: He said: “He was happy that I was freed. He said take care of your health now.”
The Ministry of External Affairs had been making all possible efforts to secure his safe release and was in constant touch with countries in the region which could help secure his release, the ministry said in a release.
"After the required rest and recuperation period in Vatican City, Father Tom returned home today. On arrival, he was received by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism K J Alphons. Father Tom also met Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister," the release said.
Father Uzhunnalil was abducted on March 4, 2016, reportedly in an incident of terrorist attack in Aden by an unidentified group and taken to an unknown place, the ministry said
The Rev Tom Uzhunnalil was kidnapped from a home for senior citizens in Aden, southern Yemen, established by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in March 2016. Four nuns were killed during the attack. Uzhunnalil's voice broke as he publicly expressed his condolences.
The priest said he didn't know his kidnappers' identities or affiliations and believed their motive was ransom, although the head of Uzhunnalil's Salesian order, Don A. F. Artime, said they had no knowledge of any ransom having been paid.
The mechanisms behind his release also were unclear, but the Vatican has thanked the Sultan of Oman in a statement and Uzhunnalil thanked leaders.
The priest said that his captors never harmed him, even if in some videos they made it appear that way in an effort to get a speedy response in negotiations. They provided tablets to treat his diabetes and took care of his basic needs. He was transferred several times during his captivity, but he doesn't know where he was held. His captors kept their faces covered in his presence, he said.
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 "Father Tom with PM Modi")
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