UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was speaking to Italy's La Stampa newspaper. Guterres also said a security review of the incident is underway.

The statement urged the prompt release of all political prisoners and expressed support for the Catholic Bishops of Myanmar in their pleas to military authorities responsible for the coup d'etat to refrain from violence and seek reconciliation, while respecting democratic principles and human rights, "including the right to life, the prohibition of torture, the freedom of assembly, media and expression."

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, Archbishop of Luxembourg and current President of COMECE, addressed the concluding session of the study day, stressing that Europe's future -- and that of humanity as a whole -- depends on the family, and that the strength of society can be measured by the practice and cultivation of intergenerational solidarity.