Vatican city, Nov 4 (IANS/AKI): Two Spanish priests, who are members of a panel created by Pope Francis to study church reforms, have been arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential documents to the media.

Spanish priest Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda and laywoman Francesca Chaouqui were arrested over the weekend, said a statement by Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi.

Chaouqui was released on Monday after she agreed to cooperate with the investigation, the Vatican said, while Vallejo Balda remains under detention inside the Vatican.

The Vatican also said it may take legal action against two Italian authors, Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi, who are due to publish books allegedly containing leaked confidential documents with new evidence of past scandals in the Vatican.

"These books are a grave breach of the Pope's trust... publications of this kind do not assist clarity and truth in any way and generate confusion and partial and tendentious interpretations," the Vatican said.