Despite reports in foreign media claiming that Indian priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil was crucified by the ISIS militants on Good Friday, the Indian Government on Monday said there was no confirmation about his death so far.
Father Uzhunnalil, an Indian priest working in old people’s home run by Missionaries of Charity in Yemen, is missing since March 4, after ISIS attacked the home killing 16 people, including an Indian nurse. While it is widely believed that Father Uzhunnalil is in the custody of ISIS, Indian Government officials said there is no news about him so far despite hectic efforts to locate him.
According to Washington Post, 56-year-old Father Uzhunnalil was executed on Good Friday by ISIS, possibly by crucifying him just the way Romans did to Jesus. The newspaper claimed that this news was confirmed by Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna during the Easter Vigil Mass on Sunday. However, no such claim has been made by the ISIS so far.
Meanwhile, Indian Gover-nment has spoken to Vatican to ascertain their source of information about the priest’s death.
Sources said that there is also a strong possibility that the priest may have been captured by some criminal group other than ISIS (also called Daesh). However, so far there has been no call for ransom neither has anyone taken responsibility about his abduction of killing.
last week, a Facebook post by the Franciscan Sisters of Siessen, based in South Africa claimed that Salesian priest Father Uzhunnalil, who was kidnapped by ISIS from Missionaries of Charity Home in Yemen, is being tortured and is going to be crucified on Good Friday.