The power vacuum created by the civil war has allowed radical Islamist groups such as Islamic State and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to gain significant influence. Christians have been killed and abducted – most famously Indian priest Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, kidnapped in March 2016 during an attack on a Christian care home for the elderly, when 16 people were killed. Yemen is a tribal society and leaving Islam is seen as a betrayal of the tribe, punishable by death. However, it is reported that many Muslims are embracing Christianity.
‘I have witnessed the power of prayer’ – priest held captive for 18 months in Yemen
The Indian priest who was held hostage for 18 months in Yemen says his experiences taught him about “the power of prayer”. Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted in March 2016 and freed in September 2017, told Catholic news agency ACI Prensa his ability to persevere during his captivity was […]
Father Tom releases book about 18 months’ captivity in Yemen
The Indian priest who spent 18 months in captivity in Yemen has released an autobiography. Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, who was freed in September 2017, has titled the book ‘By the Grace of God’. The priest, who is 58, presented his book during a meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of […]
Fr Tom: my faith got me through 18 months’ captivity
The Indian missionary priest released this week after 18 months as a hostage in Yemen has said his Christian faith helped him to survive the ordeal. Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, a priest in the Salesian order, met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday, the day after his release. The priest […]
Indian priest released after 18 months’ captivity in Yemen
India’s Church, government and politicians from across the political landscape have all expressed relief and joy over the release of Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, kidnapped in Yemen in March 2016. Statements hailing the release of the Indian priest have poured in – from India’s foreign minister, Sushma Swaraj, to the […]
Christians in Yemen ‘persevering, not surviving’
The ongoing civil war in Yemen has claimed thousands of lives, but, away from the conflict, the country’s Christian minority has also faced targeted attacks by the insurgent Islamist group Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest nation, with 26 million people, is “the last bastion on […]
Church relieved as Yemen confirms kidnapped Indian priest is ‘alive’
The Church in India, especially in the southern state of Kerala, is breathing a sign of relief after Yemen confirmed to India’s foreign minister that Catholic missionary Father Tom Uzhunnalil, kidnapped in Yemen in March 2016, is “alive”. “We are thrilled to hear that good news,” Cardinal George Alencherry, Major […]
Priest kidnapped in Yemen appeals for help in new video
The Catholic priest held captive for 14 months has appeared in a new video pleading for the international community to secure his release. Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, a Salesian priest who was taken captive in a raid on a care home in the Yemeni capital Aden, looks frail in the short […]
As a Christian woman in Yemen, life is about survival
Life in Yemen is not easy for a woman. Especially if you are a woman who has decided to become a Christian. Yemen is a tribal country, where leaving Islam is seen as a betrayal of that tribe, punishable by death. Nadeen (*), a born-and-raised Yemeni woman in her late […]
Criticised for not securing release of kidnapped priest in Yemen, Indian government says it ‘told him not to go’
Fr Tom UzhunnalilArchdiocese of Bombay India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under fire from his political opponents for his failure to secure the release of an Indian Catholic priest kidnapped 10 months ago in Yemen by Islamic extremists. Now Modi’s Deputy Foreign Minister, M. J. Akbar, has said the […]
Priest’s crucifixion rumours false, says India’s Foreign Minister
Mathew Uzhunnalil, left, the older brother of kidnapped priest Thomas Uzhunnallil, talks with their cousin, V.A. Thomas, in the family home in Kerala state, India.World Watch Monitor UPDATE (4 April) India’s government has said rumours that a kidnapped Catholic priest was crucified on Good Friday are false, and promised […]