The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church covering UAE, Oman and Yemen. "The church has got strong indications to believe that Fr Tom Uzhunnalil is still alive," the statement said, adding that more details cannot be divulged at this stage.
"The features of the person speaking in the video bear a close likeness to Fr Tom Uzhunnalil. However the source of the video, the date of its creation and the circumstances under which it was recorded are unknown," said the statement.
"The bishop, Paul Hinder, has led the prayers throughout the churches in the vicariate for Fr Tom and the other Christians remaining in the country. During the Christmas mass on the midnight of December 25, the bishop and thousands of believers who gathered at the cathedral parish of St Joseph's in Abu Dhabi, prayed for the safety of Fr Tom," added the statement.
"We request the faithful not to spread unconfirmed reports on social media but to continue their prayers for Fr Tom, it said.
Augustine Mathew, Fr Tom's cousin, also said that the family had got information that the priest was alive. "His captors must have been demanding a ransom. The video was uploaded to convince the world that he was alive," he said.
The priest's family members will be meeting Syro Malabar Church head Mar George Cardinal Alencherry in Ernakulam on Thursday. Father Tom was abducted nearly nine months ago from war-torn Yemen and a video of the priest pleading for help became viral recently.