Fr Tom Uzhunnalil SDB

In Yemen, you were totally in an Islamic world; what did you learn from there?
We were serving expatriates, particularly nurses, doctors and others from Kerala or India. Providing them an opportunity to take part in the Eucharistic celebration and meeting their spiritual needs in themselves gave much satisfaction.We had no intention to convert or to go and preach to the people.

How would you describe the people of Yemen?
The Yemeni people in general are very happy, understanding and caring.

For thirty-three years, President Ali Abdullah ruled Yemen, but now factional conflicts by different groups have brought in anarchy there. In such a situation, why did the nuns accept the invitation to work there?
I don’t think any such problem was existing when they were invited. I have little knowledge about the political developments there.

Are you not concerned about them?
I am not concerned about politics.

Have you faced any social problem?
No.

In the 556 days you were in captivity, you were blindfolded, you could not speak, you could not even see the sky and you did not have the company of people. What did it feel like to be caged in like that?
On some occasions they did offer me an opportunity to have a look at the sky. I was not blindfolded all the time. They gave me sufficient freedom to move about or to do exercise in the room. They provided me food and sometimes also the medicines I required. I thank God for that attitude of theirs.

What did that experience teach you?
Well, if we trust in the Lord and if the Lord is giving us a mission, go and courageously take it up. You trust in Him, take the blessings of your superiors and go. The Lord will be there to take care of you. You need not worry about what may happen.

What does it tell about the unjust suffering of people under terrorists?
Suffering has got a big value. I also learned that more than I perhaps my family, Salesians of my province and people of my country suffered. I was treated almost gently, but my absence and inability to be with my people might have disturbed them and the news they heard about the reaction to my captivity must have softened them.

Did you ever feel depressed or desperate?
I was never depressed. I never cried or trembled. I was not afraid to die.

Did you see death face to face?
Yes, I have seen death face to face, not of mine but of others. I prayed for the victims and also for their killers.

What are your feelings about that now?
I have no words to describe my feelings.

There are so many Christian missionaries going into very difficult and insecure areas. There are also people who plunge into risky social activities like Archbishop Romero, Sr Rani Maria and Sr Valsa John. There may be youngsters who are willing to go and work in such dangerous areas. What message and advice have you to give to them?
The Lord has a mission for each one and if you are genuinely following that mission the Lord will take care of you and He will stretch out His hands to you. He will console you in suffering and bring about the good that is wished by Him for you as well as for the others. I was serving the Sisters who were looking after the elderly who were rejected by society or families on to the streets. So, in that way, there is social action in Yemen.

Four Sisters were killed in front of you. Two Sisters were accused of conversion and killed there earlier. What are the sisters exactly doing there?
These sisters are just serving the poor genuinely, nothing else.

Do you think the Church should keep sending people to these dangerous areas?
If the Lord wants and asks for it, send them and the Lord will take care of them.

But should not precautions be taken?
It is good to take commonsense precautions.

What was your experience with Islam during your stay there?
Muslims are good people. Just as in any community there may be a few among them who are not well disposed to people of other faiths.

This is a world confronted by fundamentalism, especially Islamic fundamentalism and Hindu fundamentalism. As a Christian you became a victim of it. What would be your message to the people on fundamentalism?
In as much as there is goodness in every individual on this earth, you focus your attention on that goodness and pray. When you come across someone who is not that good, try to bring about a change in him through prayer and sacrifice, which is provided by God. It was prayers and sacrifices made by different communities throughout the world at different levels that brought me out safely. That is the message I have for everyone.

The Sultan of Oman was the mediator used by the Vatican to get you released. At the same time, it was Islamic terrorists who abducted you and tried to kill you. What does this contradiction mean to us?
As I told you, there are both good and bad people in any community. Besides the Sultan, rulers of many other countries including our own pleaded for my release. I thank them for the efforts they made to save me.

Now that you are free, everybody is applauding you, praying for you and welcoming you. What does it tell you?
I understand they all love and care for me.

Doesn’t it show that the service you did is appreciated, welcomed and extolled?
That is self evident.

On the whole, this tragic episode must have been an extremely excruciating experience for you. In what way has it affected you personally?
I think the Lord had a mission for me when a particular event took place at a particular point of time. To each one God gives a different mission. The first one must have been for me to be with the sisters to support them till the end, second must have been to pray for people from where I was kept. Now my mission is to bear witness to the fact that God is there and God hears our prayers.

What do you think of the sisters who were killed?
They were holy people as far as I knew them as their spiritual director. I am sure that they are now in heaven.