VATICAN - Declaration from Holy See Press Office

Vatican City (Fides Service) - At the end of the morning yesterday 30 November the Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration: "Over recent days, news agencies have reported two disconcerting events carried out against, respectively, the Franciscan Sisters in Xi'an and six priests in the diocese of Zhengding. "These news items, though it is not possible to verify the exact details of their circumstances, provoke pain and disapproval. The violence practised in Xi'an against a number of defenceless nuns cannot but be firmly condemned. And the detention of six priests of Zhengding, like the earlier detentions of priests in other localities, is also a cause for grave concern. As on earlier occasions, the reasons for the coercive measures inflicted upon them are unknown.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 1/12/2005, righe 10, parole 134)