Sounds like a perfectly valid reason, to me. Catholic priests and nuns have been murdered by the thousands in China in the past. As well as many other
countries. Idi Amin, dictator of Ughanda, in the 1970's, actually roasted the Arch-Bishop of Ughanda on a spit. This has been a practice of Popes for
the faithful in countries of persecution for over 1000 years.