Pope Benedict XVI has welcomed a delegation of priests, seminary rectors and seminary spiritual directors from China’s state-run church to the Vatican on Wednesday.

The group of 28 Chinese priests who had been attending a course in Germany, were part of a general audience greeted by the Pope as he returned from his vacation in northern Italy.

The meeting is the first time a pontiff has publicly welcomed members of the state-controlled church. The Pope spoke warmly of them, saying, “I greet with particular affection the group of priests from China.”

The Vatican did not comment on whether the priests belonged to the Communist Party-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association or to underground churches loyal to Rome, but AsiaNews, a Catholic news agency with close ties to the Vatican, said the group belonged to Beijing’s official church.

The latest statistics show there are about 1,000 seminarians studying at 19 seminaries and at five seminary preparation schools in China, according to the news agency.

A recent report by Compass Direct has recounted a wave of arrests in May, June and July despite a new law on religion that took effect on March 1 giving hope to greater freedom and protection for Christians.

According to the China Aid Association (CAA), an entire village in the Henan province in east-central China was surrounded by police during a leadership training program for house church pastors. The CAA also reported the arrest of around 100 pastors from the province’s major cities.