VATICAN CITY (UCAN) -- The Vatican has strongly protested against the expulsion from Russia of a Catholic missioner bishop and demanded that he be allowed to return to his eastern Siberian diocese.

On the night of April 19, Polish-born Bishop Jerzy Mazur of Irkutsk was told by immigration authorities upon arrival at Moscow's main Sheremetevo international airport that he was "persona non-grata" and "expelled from the territory of the Russian Federation."

With his multiple-entry visa annulled, he was forced to return to the Polish capital Warsaw from where he had come.

The next day, Vatican's Secretary of State and the Pontifical Representation in Moscow summoned Russian Federation Ambassador Vitaly Litvin, to protest the expulsion and ask for an explanation. The Holy See envoy in Moscow reportedly also lodged a complaint.

Earlier this month, Russian authorities revoked the visa of Italian Father Stefano Caprio, a missioner in Moscow. International media quoted Father Caprio as saying that his name is included on a "blacklist" compiled by the Russian secret service.

Referring to both cases, the Vatican, in a press release April 20, noted that the missioners were given no reasons and that their expulsions "represent a serious violation" of Russia's international commitments.

The Vatican said Russia is signatory to the final document of the 1989 Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe that respects the right of religious communities "to choose, nominate and replace their own personnel according to their respective requirements."

Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, called on Russian authorities "to review the measure adopted" and allow Bishop Mazur "to return soon" to his community in eastern Siberia.

Since 1999, Divine Word Bishop Mazur has been in charge of about 50,000 Catholics in the world's largest diocese of 10 million square kilometers that stretches through five time zones.

Navarro-Valls told UCA News that the bishop's expulsion "is a most serious act," and being the second such expulsion in two weeks, has caused alarm in the Vatican.

He said that 85 percent of the 215 Catholic priests in Russia are foreign nationals mainly from Poland, Germany and the Ukraine who cannot get Russian citizenship. Hence, the expulsions raise serious questions about their future, he added.

Archbishop Thaddeus Kondrusiewicz of Moscow, who had an audience with Pope John Paul II April 23, expressed the same concern. "Russian Catholics are wondering who will be next, and how long this will last," he said.

The Polish government has also formally lodged protests with the Russian authorities over Bishop Mazur's expulsion.

However, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded, saying it had no problems with Poland but had "serious objections about the actions of Bishop Mazur."

It did not explain what these objections were but said that the case was a problem between the Russian Federation and the Vatican.

Sources in Rome said that the Russian authorities' move came as a result of pressure from nationalist movements and the Russian Orthodox Church, but the latter denies involvement.

Tensions have run high between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church since Feb. 11, when Pope John Paul elevated four apostolic administrations in the Russian Federation to dioceses. The Orthodox Church views the move as an invasion of their canonical territory.

Tensions escalated further last week when the Russian Duma, the country's parliament, failed to block a motion asking President Vladamir Putin to close the four recently created Catholic dioceses. The motion alleges that "the Catholic Church's activity" on Russian territory represented "a threat to Russia's integrity."

The motion will soon be discussed. Meanwhile, Vatican sources say that they are now waiting for a reply from the Russian authorities.

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