Kerala priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was recently rescued from ISIS captivity in Yemen after Oman's intervention, will soon return to India.
Read more: Kerala priest rescued from ISIS captivity
The Catholic priest is expected to reach the country on September 28 and will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Reports suggest that he is likely to visit External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj as well to thank the Indian government for its support.
After meeting the PM, he is expected to spend some days at Salesians Congregation in Bengaluru with the members of the religious group he belongs to. The cleric might also be attending a bishops' conference in the city to share his experiences in Yemen.
Fr. Tom, who hails from Ramapuram in Kottayam, will return to his hometown on October 1. Later, he will also be visiting Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Ramesh Chennithala, the Leader of Opposition in Thiruvananthapuram.
Also check: Fr Tom Uzhunnalil's photo and torture footage surface on Facebook
After spending 18 months under ISIS confinement, Fr. Tom was released on September 12 and was brought to Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman. Later, he was sent to Vatican City, where he met Pope Francis.
"In response to the Royal Orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and as per a request from the Vatican to assist in the rescuing of a Vatican employee, the concerned authorities in the Sultanate, in coordination with the Yemeni authorities, have managed to find him. He was transferred Tuesday morning to Muscat," the Omani statement said.
Meanwhile, in a recent press conference in Vatican city, the priest said that he was never physically harmed or injured by terrorists during his captivity.
