diff --git a/resources/lib/downloadutils.py b/resources/lib/downloadutils.py
index 3ae64e7c..d68dfb81 100644
--- a/resources/lib/downloadutils.py
+++ b/resources/lib/downloadutils.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 from __future__ import absolute_import, division, unicode_literals
 from logging import getLogger
-import defusedxml.ElementTree as etree  # etree parse unsafe
 import requests
 
 from . import utils
@@ -276,7 +275,7 @@ class DownloadUtils():
                     return r
                 try:
                     # xml response
-                    r = etree.fromstring(r.content)
+                    r = utils.defused_etree.fromstring(r.content)
                     return r
                 except:
                     r.encoding = 'utf-8'
diff --git a/resources/lib/initialsetup.py b/resources/lib/initialsetup.py
index 863ad414..b4dcf221 100644
--- a/resources/lib/initialsetup.py
+++ b/resources/lib/initialsetup.py
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@
 from __future__ import absolute_import, division, unicode_literals
 from logging import getLogger
 from Queue import Queue
-import xml.etree.ElementTree as etree
 
 from xbmc import executebuiltin, translatePath
 
@@ -494,7 +493,7 @@ class InitialSetup(object):
                 xml.set_setting(['video', 'ignoresecondsatstart'],
                                 value='60')
                 reboot = xml.write_xml
-        except etree.ParseError:
+        except utils.etree.ParseError:
             cache = None
             reboot = False
         # Kodi default cache if no setting is set
diff --git a/resources/lib/music.py b/resources/lib/music.py
index 93770a32..94da2c37 100644
--- a/resources/lib/music.py
+++ b/resources/lib/music.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 from __future__ import absolute_import, division, unicode_literals
 from logging import getLogger
-from xml.etree.ElementTree import ParseError
 
 from . import utils
 from .plex_api import API
@@ -66,7 +65,7 @@ def excludefromscan_music_folders(xml):
                              element.text)
                     parent.remove(element)
                     xml_file.write_xml = True
-    except (ParseError, IOError):
+    except (utils.etree.ParseError, IOError):
         LOG.error('Could not adjust advancedsettings.xml')
     if reboot is True:
         #  'New Plex music library detected. Sorry, but we need to
diff --git a/resources/lib/service_entry.py b/resources/lib/service_entry.py
index 333fac73..1cc6c074 100644
--- a/resources/lib/service_entry.py
+++ b/resources/lib/service_entry.py
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ class Service():
                  utils.settings('syncSpecificPlexPlaylistsPrefix') == 'true')
         LOG.info('Play playlist prefix: %s',
                  utils.settings('syncSpecificPlexPlaylistsPrefix'))
+        LOG.info('XML decoding being used: %s', utils.ETREE)
         self.monitor = xbmc.Monitor()
         # Load/Reset PKC entirely - important for user/Kodi profile switch
         initialsetup.reload_pkc()
diff --git a/resources/lib/utils.py b/resources/lib/utils.py
index fe2fe69a..e8fd8f0e 100644
--- a/resources/lib/utils.py
+++ b/resources/lib/utils.py
@@ -9,8 +9,14 @@ from sqlite3 import connect, OperationalError
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from time import localtime, strftime
 from unicodedata import normalize
-import xml.etree.ElementTree as etree
-import defusedxml.ElementTree as defused_etree  # etree parse unsafe
+try:
+    import xml.etree.cElementTree as etree
+    import defusedxml.cElementTree as defused_etree  # etree parse unsafe
+    ETREE = 'cElementTree'
+except ImportError:
+    import xml.etree.ElementTree as etree
+    import defusedxml.ElementTree as defused_etree  # etree parse unsafe
+    ETREE = 'ElementTree'
 from functools import wraps, partial
 from urllib import quote_plus
 import hashlib
diff --git a/resources/lib/videonodes.py b/resources/lib/videonodes.py
index 07180cf9..15b372b4 100644
--- a/resources/lib/videonodes.py
+++ b/resources/lib/videonodes.py
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 from __future__ import absolute_import, division, unicode_literals
 from logging import getLogger
-import xml.etree.ElementTree as etree
 
 from . import utils
+from .utils import etree
 from . import path_ops
 from . import variables as v
 from . import state
diff --git a/resources/lib/websocket_client.py b/resources/lib/websocket_client.py
index ff81c30f..c796e457 100644
--- a/resources/lib/websocket_client.py
+++ b/resources/lib/websocket_client.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 from logging import getLogger
 from json import loads
-import defusedxml.ElementTree as etree  # etree parse unsafe
 from threading import Thread
 from ssl import CERT_NONE
 from xbmc import sleep
@@ -222,7 +221,7 @@ class Alexa_Websocket(WebSocket):
                   self.__class__.__name__)
         LOG.debug('%s: %s', self.__class__.__name__, message)
         try:
-            message = etree.fromstring(message)
+            message = utils.defused_etree.fromstring(message)
         except Exception as ex:
             LOG.error('%s: Error decoding message from Alexa: %s',
                       self.__class__.__name__, ex)