People flocked to St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in the city on Tuesday to participate in a special thanksgiving service conducted after the release of Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil from captivity in Yemen.
Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church to which Fr. Uzhunnalil belongs, said that prayers by millions across the world had helped in the release of Fr. Uzhunnalil from captivity. He also thanked the Vatican and the Indian government for the efforts to release him. He was speaking after the special thanksgiving prayers at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Joseph Kalathiparambil, Archbishop of Varapuzha, expressed heartfelt gratitude to all those who prayed for the safe release of Fr. Uzhunnalil. He said that the Vatican had intervened at the diplomatic level to secure his release.
He also thanked the governments of Yemen and Oman for aiding Fr. Uzhunnalil’s release. He expressed his gratitude to Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, and the Kerala government for extending all support for the release of the priest.