The Vatican on Monday announced the resignations of its spokesperson and his deputy without citing any explanation. Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Vatican Press Director Greg Burke and Deputy Director Paloma Garcia Ovejero, and appointed Alessandro Gisotti as interim director, it said in a statement.
Burke, an American, and Overjero, a Spaniard, resigned two weeks after Pope Francis named an Italian journalist and friend as the editorial director overseeing all Vatican communication, Reuters reported.
“Paloma and I have resigned, effective January 1,” Burke tweeted. “At this time of transition in Vatican communications, we think it’s best the Holy Father is completely free to assemble a new team.” He described his time with the Vatican as a “fantastic experience”.
The 59-year-old Burke was previously a Rome-based reporter for Fox News. He joined the Vatican in 2012 as an advisor in its Secretariat of State and was appointed spokesperson in 2016. Burke is a member of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei.
Ovejero, 43, who formerly reported for a Spanish radio network, was one of the highest-ranking women in the Vatican.
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