Indian archbishop thanks prime minister for role in release of kidnapped Jesuit

February 25, 2015

Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi has thanked India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role in the release of Father Alexis Prem Kumar, the Jesuit priest who was freed this week after eight months of captivity in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Modi, who had promised to work for the freedom of the Jesuit priest, announced on February 22 that he had been released. Archbishop Couto said: “We appreciate and thank the role carried out by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government in securing his release and his safety.”

Modi’s role in the release of Father Kumar, the head of Jesuit Relief Services in Afghanistan, could help to repair relations between his government and the country’s Christian minority. Church leaders have been pressing the prime minister to take more effective action to stop anti-Christian violence.

 

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Further information:

• Release of kidnapped priest: the Church thanks the Prime Minister (Fides)
• Indian Jesuit freed from captivity in Afghanistan (CWN, 2/23)