diff --git a/python/publish/junit.py b/python/publish/junit.py
index e6100e65..a8d2ccd4 100644
--- a/python/publish/junit.py
+++ b/python/publish/junit.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import os
 from collections import defaultdict
-from typing import Optional, Iterable, Union, Any, List, Dict
+from typing import Optional, Iterable, Union, Tuple, List, Dict
 
 import junitparser
 from junitparser import Element, JUnitXml, TestCase, TestSuite, Skipped
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@
 
 from publish.unittestresults import ParsedUnitTestResults, UnitTestCase, ParseError
 
+try:
+    import lxml
+    lxml_available = True
+except ImportError:
+    lxml_available = False
+
 
 def get_results(results: Union[Element, List[Element]], status: Optional[str] = None) -> List[Element]:
     """
@@ -97,10 +103,24 @@ def end(self, tag: Union[str, bytes]) -> Element:
             if self._stack:
                 self._stack.pop()
 
+    def close(self) -> Element:
+        # when lxml is around, we have to return an ElementTree here, otherwise
+        #   XMLParser(target=...).parse(..., parser=...)
+        # returns an Element, not a ElementTree, but junitparser expects an ElementTree
+        #
+        # https://lxml.de/parsing.html:
+        #   Note that the parser does not build a tree when using a parser target. The result of the parser run is
+        #   whatever the target object returns from its .close() method. If you want to return an XML tree here, you
+        #   have to create it programmatically in the target object.
+        if lxml_available:
+            return lxml.etree.ElementTree(super().close())
+        else:
+            return super().close()
+
 
 def parse_junit_xml_files(files: Iterable[str], time_factor: float = 1.0, drop_testcases: bool = False) -> ParsedUnitTestResults:
     """Parses junit xml files and returns aggregated statistics as a ParsedUnitTestResults."""
-    def parse(path: str) -> Union[str, Any]:
+    def parse(path: str) -> Union[JUnitXml, BaseException]:
         if not os.path.exists(path):
             return FileNotFoundError(f'File does not exist.')
         if os.stat(path).st_size == 0:
@@ -114,8 +134,7 @@ def parse(path: str) -> Union[str, Any]:
         except BaseException as e:
             return e
 
-    parsed_files = [(result_file, parse(result_file))
-                    for result_file in files]
+    parsed_files = [(result_file, parse(result_file)) for result_file in files]
     junits = [(result_file, junit)
               for result_file, junit in parsed_files
               if not isinstance(junit, BaseException)]
diff --git a/python/publish/unittestresults.py b/python/publish/unittestresults.py
index 8bd54508..ea7bc843 100644
--- a/python/publish/unittestresults.py
+++ b/python/publish/unittestresults.py
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ def __init__(self, items=None):
 class ParseError:
     file: str
     message: str
-    line: Optional[int]
-    column: Optional[int]
+    line: Optional[int] = None
+    column: Optional[int] = None
 
     @staticmethod
     def from_exception(file: str, exception: BaseException):
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ def from_exception(file: str, exception: BaseException):
             elif msg.startswith('Invalid format.'):
                 msg = f'File is not a valid JUnit file:\n{msg}'
             return ParseError(file=file, message=msg, line=line, column=column)
-        return ParseError(file=file, message=str(exception), line=None, column=None)
+        return ParseError(file=file, message=str(exception))
 
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
diff --git a/python/requirements.txt b/python/requirements.txt
index 1fa9ee4b..0569f470 100644
--- a/python/requirements.txt
+++ b/python/requirements.txt
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@ dataclasses;python_version<"3.7"
 junitparser==2.5.0
 PyGithub==1.55
 urllib3==1.26.9
-requests==2.27.1
\ No newline at end of file
+requests==2.27.1
+lxml==4.8.0
diff --git a/python/test/test_action_script.py b/python/test/test_action_script.py
index 1d7e893a..0846a325 100644
--- a/python/test/test_action_script.py
+++ b/python/test/test_action_script.py
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ def test_get_conclusion_parse_errors(self):
                 with self.subTest(fail_on_errors=fail_on_errors, fail_on_failures=fail_on_failures):
                     actual = get_conclusion(ParsedUnitTestResults(
                         files=2,
-                        errors=[ParseError(file='file', message='error', line=None, column=None)],
+                        errors=[ParseError(file='file', message='error')],
                         suites=1,
                         suite_tests=4,
                         suite_skipped=1,
diff --git a/python/test/test_junit.py b/python/test/test_junit.py
index a7808373..11a21574 100644
--- a/python/test/test_junit.py
+++ b/python/test/test_junit.py
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import os
 import pathlib
 import unittest
 from distutils.version import LooseVersion
@@ -11,6 +10,7 @@
 
 test_files_path = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent / 'files'
 
+
 class TestElement(Element):
     __test__ = False
 
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ def test_parse_junit_xml_files_with_empty_file(self):
             ParsedUnitTestResults(
                 cases=[],
                 files=1,
-                errors=[ParseError(result_file, 'File is empty.', None, None)],
+                errors=[ParseError(result_file, 'File is empty.')],
                 suite_errors=0,
                 suite_failures=0,
                 suite_skipped=0,
@@ -394,12 +394,14 @@ def test_parse_junit_xml_files_with_empty_file(self):
             ))
 
     def test_parse_junit_xml_files_with_non_xml_file(self):
-        result_file = str(test_files_path / 'non-xml.xml')
+        result_file = test_files_path / 'non-xml.xml'
+        result_filename = str(result_file)
+        expected_filename = ('file:/' + result_file.absolute().as_posix()) if result_file.drive else result_file.name
         self.assertEqual(
-            parse_junit_xml_files([result_file]),
+            parse_junit_xml_files([result_filename]),
             ParsedUnitTestResults(
                 files=1,
-                errors=[ParseError(file=result_file, message='File is not a valid XML file:\nsyntax error: line 1, column 0', line=1, column=0)],
+                errors=[ParseError(file=result_filename, message=f"Start tag expected, '<' not found, line 1, column 1 ({expected_filename}, line 1)")],
                 suites=0,
                 suite_tests=0,
                 suite_skipped=0,
@@ -410,12 +412,14 @@ def test_parse_junit_xml_files_with_non_xml_file(self):
             ))
 
     def test_parse_junit_xml_files_with_corrupt_xml_file(self):
-        result_file = str(test_files_path / 'corrupt-xml.xml')
+        result_file = test_files_path / 'corrupt-xml.xml'
+        result_filename = str(result_file)
+        expected_filename = ('file:/' + result_file.absolute().as_posix()) if result_file.drive else result_file.name
         self.assertEqual(
-            parse_junit_xml_files([result_file]),
+            parse_junit_xml_files([result_filename]),
             ParsedUnitTestResults(
                 files=1,
-                errors=[ParseError(file=result_file, message='File is not a valid XML file:\nno element found: line 11, column 21', line=11, column=21)],
+                errors=[ParseError(file=result_filename, message=f'Premature end of data in tag skipped line 9, line 11, column 22 ({expected_filename}, line 11)')],
                 suites=0,
                 suite_tests=0,
                 suite_skipped=0,
@@ -431,7 +435,7 @@ def test_parse_junit_xml_files_with_non_junit_file(self):
             parse_junit_xml_files([result_file]),
             ParsedUnitTestResults(
                 files=1,
-                errors=[ParseError(file=result_file, message='Invalid format.', line=None, column=None)],
+                errors=[ParseError(file=result_file, message='Invalid format.')],
                 suites=0,
                 suite_tests=0,
                 suite_skipped=0,
@@ -447,7 +451,7 @@ def test_parse_junit_xml_files_with_non_existing_file(self):
             ParsedUnitTestResults(
                 cases=[],
                 files=1,
-                errors=[ParseError('files/does_not_exist.xml', 'File does not exist.', None, None)],
+                errors=[ParseError('files/does_not_exist.xml', 'File does not exist.')],
                 suite_errors=0,
                 suite_failures=0,
                 suite_skipped=0,
diff --git a/python/test/test_unittestresults.py b/python/test/test_unittestresults.py
index 99dfabe2..e95b3a52 100644
--- a/python/test/test_unittestresults.py
+++ b/python/test/test_unittestresults.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     UnitTestRunResults, UnitTestRunDeltaResults, ParseError
 from test import d, n
 
-errors = [ParseError('file', 'error', None, None)]
+errors = [ParseError('file', 'error')]
 errors_dict = [dataclasses.asdict(e) for e in errors]
 
 
@@ -26,12 +26,12 @@ def test_parse_error_from_file_not_found(self):
         error = FileNotFoundError(2, 'No such file or directory')
         error.filename = 'some file path'
         actual = ParseError.from_exception('file', error)
-        expected = ParseError('file', "[Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'some file path'", None, None)
+        expected = ParseError('file', "[Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'some file path'")
         self.assertEqual(expected, actual)
 
     def test_parse_error_from_error(self):
         actual = ParseError.from_exception('file', ValueError('error'))
-        expected = ParseError('file', 'error', None, None)
+        expected = ParseError('file', 'error')
         self.assertEqual(expected, actual)
 
     def test_parsed_unit_test_results_with_commit(self):
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ def test_get_stats_delta(self):
             commit='commit'
         ), UnitTestRunResults(
             files=3,
-            errors=[ParseError('other file', 'other error', None, None)],
+            errors=[ParseError('other file', 'other error')],
             suites=5,
             duration=7,