My name is Fr. George Muttathuparambil, SDB. I had the privilege of working in Yemen from 29th June 2010 to 30th March 2016. I had gone together with Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil to Yemen.
To give you a background, Yemen is a 100% Muslim country. There are no local Christians. The Christian population in Yemen consists of people who have come to work in Yemen from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines etc. The local people appreciate and have great regards for the foreign workers especially Indians. Christians had the freedom to have their religious services conducted privately. The Government knew about it and they did not oppose and at times even gave protection also, although they did not favor the Christians in public.
Also Read: Fr. Tom: God’s Grace Kept Me Going
The second biggest city in Yemen which is known as Aden has three Churches and one priest was given official visa of a priest. Years before, during the time of the British, Aden was a very flourishing Christian center and the Church had at least three big schools.
Later on when Communism came they confiscated the Churches and Church properties and many years later with the constant effort of Rev. Fr. Mathew Uzhunnalil (Fr. Tom’s uncle and was instrumental in beginning missions in Yemen) the three Churches were returned, but all the other properties were confiscated. Fr. Mathew also inspired Fr. Tom to take up the vocation.
Mother Theresa’s Influence
When Mother Theresa was alive, she was invited officially by the then President to start her work in Yemen. She visited Yemen and then she put a condition that in each of her communities they should have a priest to animate them spiritually. The Government agreed and thus other priests could enter Yemen. The four centers were: Sana’a the capital, Aden, Hodeidah and Taiz. Since four priests were available it was possible to have four parishes too. In general, people were very friendly with the Christians and there were no problem.
The real problems started after the so-called Arab Spring during which the then president was deposed and then onwards there was no security and slowly the extremists began to have upper hand due to the political vacuum. The extremists with their fundamentalist ideas that all those who profess other religious beliefs have no right to live, and began to prosecute Christians too.
In Yemen it was not possible to convert anyone. It would be detrimental to both parties. Therefore no direct evangelization could be done. But the sincere works of the Mother Theresa Sisters who looked after the really poor and abandoned have gained the good will and appreciation of all there. Their lives of sincere charity and service have made very good and positive impression on the people there.
The Rise of Arab Spring
In 2011, there was the Arab Spring, which was indeed a very troublesome time for us too. It was difficult to move about along with other challenges. At that time we were four priests in Yemen looking after the four parishes in Sana’a, Aden, Taiz and Hodeidah. When the war was about to begin, the Government of India evacuated nearly 5000 Indians. Along with them, three priests too left. But I chose to stay back to look after the four places and the Sisters. I used to stay in one place for nearly 10 days and then move on to the next place.
But the real problem was yet to come. And it came on 26th of March 2015 with the beginning of the war in Yemen. When the war started and the three priests went back, Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil who was back in India volunteered to come back to help. And he managed to reach Aden by the end of June 2015 after three months of struggle.
Once the war began it was not possible for me to go to Aden as the war was raging there. The community of Sisters in Aden really suffered due to the lack of spiritual support and lack of basic necessities of life like food, water, etc. They were under constant threat and fear of being bombarded, shells and bullets coming into the compound and to the residence and so on. It lasted almost three months and finally the coalition troops chased away the so-called rebels from Aden. But once the rebels were chased out, the extremist elements and terrorists began to have upper hand in Aden. As a result there was complete chaos and confusion with daily slaughters, suicide bombings and other killings. Out of the three Churches in Aden, two were completely destroyed and one was partially destroyed. Out of that one Church they burned it down, the second one they planted bombs inside and blasted. The third blast destroyed everything that was in the Church.
As and when possible, I used to travel to the other three places where there were also bombings constantly. Once the War was begun, due to the bombings so much of destruction has taken place. Roads, bridges, communication and other infrastructures were destroyed which has brought untold miseries to the people who were already suffering as Yemen is the poorest country in the Gulf region.
Once the war started it was not possible for me to go daily to the Sisters from my own residence as the distance was greater and also because of the troubles on the way. Therefore, I used to stay in the guest room of the Old Age Home run by the Sisters. On 15th August 2015 my Church in Taiz was occupied by the militants and they destroyed everything inside, carried away the things inside with my own personal belongings and burned the rest. Soon I received the news that they were looking for me and so I had to run away to another place.
Kidnapping of Fr. Tom
Then the most unfortunate event took place in Aden on 4th March, 2016 when the terrorists gunned down 16 persons working in the Old Age Home including four Sisters there. It was a miracle that the superior alone managed to escape. But the terrorists took away Fr. Tom who was there to an unknown place and then on we had no definite news of him. Meanwhile, I had already booked my ticket to come back to India as my passport was about to expire. And so on 30th March I came away from Yemen.
After the unfortunate event of 4th March, the Governor appointed a lady in charge of the Old Age Home in Aden. From Taiz by the second week of March 2016 all the patients, workers and Sisters were shifted by government to Sana’a. And so now the Sisters are there in two places; in Sana and in Hodeidah and they have no priests there now.
Fr. George Muttathuparambil SDB was ordained as priest 1991. He worked as administrator and Vocation Promoter at Don Bosco Bhavan Mannuthy, Kerala. He was in Rome as a Licentiate in Salesian Spirituality. He served as a missionary in Yemen during 2010-2016. He is now the Rector, Don Bosco Provincial House, Bangalore