Fr Tom Uzhunnalil to reach India on Sept 28, will meet PM Modi in Delhi

Fr Tom Uzhunnalil will reach India on September 28 and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi The priest will arrive in Kochi on October 1 and will head for his hometown at Ramapuram in Kottayam He will then travel to the state capital to meet CM Pinarayi Vijayan and opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala

Kerala priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was rescued from Islamic State's captivity in Yemen earlier this month, will reach India on September 28 and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

After meeting Modi, Fr Uzhunnalil, who is currently in Vatican, will fly to Bengaluru to spend a few days with the Salesians Congregation, to which he belongs, and will attend a bishops’ conference and share his experience with them.

Fr Uzhunnalil will arrive in Kochi on October 1 and will head for his hometown at Ramapuram in Kottayam district. The priest's village is planning a grand welcome for him. Thereafter, Fr Uzhunnalil will travel to the state capital to meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.

The priest was associated with the Missionaries of Charity, which was running an old age home in Aden, when he was abducted by terrorists in March 2016. He was released on September 12 with the help of Oman government’s intervention. He then flew to the Vatican, where he met with the Pope Francis.

(With agency inputs)