GULU, Uganda (CNN) -- Two elderly Italian priests kidnapped by Ugandan rebels have been released unharmed.
Father Ponsiano Velluto, 71, and Father Alex Pizzi, 63, walked several kilometres back to their mission in northern Uganda, Catholic officials said on Sunday.
The priests were taken by members of the Lord's Resistance Army along with several Ugandan civilians on Saturday from the Opit Missionary, 300 km (200 miles) north of Kampala, Father Giulio Albanese, editor of the Missionary Service News Agency in Rome said.
Velluto and Pizzi said the rebels stole their two-way radio and took them away on foot, saying LRA leader Joseph Kony, who is reportedly in southern Sudan, wanted to speak to them.
Velluto had been kidnapped by the rebels in March 2000, Albanese said.
The priests spoke to Kony over the radio and were allowed to leave soon afterwards.
Catholic officials in Gulu, about 60 km (37 miles) from the missionary, could not confirm if the villagers had been released, Albanese said.
More than 100 rebels were involved in the raid, during which Opit's trade centre, military barracks and Catholic mission were looted and burned.
Albanese said several bodies were scattered on the ground not far from the mission, but Albanese it was not clear if they were rebels or villagers. No priests were injured or killed in the raid.
Albanese said it appeared the main reason for the raid was theft. Almost all of the missionaries' food and supplies were taken.
The LRA rebels are known for their unpredictable behaviour and are accused by international human rights groups of widespread human rights abuses, including recruiting thousands of children as soldiers.
The latest kidnapping comes as the Catholic church and other religious leaders attempt to foster a peace agreement between the government and the rebels.
The Lord's Resistance Army has been trying to overthrow the Ugandan government -- led by President Yoweri Museveni -- for 15 years, demanding the constitution be replaced with a version of the Ten Commandments