FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis poses with Vatican spokesman Greg Burke (R) and deputy Vatican spokesperson Paloma Garcia Ovejero during a meeting at the Vatican in this undated handout. Media/Handout via REUTERS

Source: Reuters

BY Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican spokesman and his deputy resigned on Monday over disagreements on strategy, ending a year of upheaval in the Holy See’s communications structure.

A brief Vatican statement gave no reason for the resignations. Spokesman Greg Burke, an American, tweeted that he and his Spanish deputy, Paloma Garcia Ovejero, had quit to let Pope Francis appoint a new team in what was a “time of transition”.

A Vatican source said both Burke and Ovejero had wanted more autonomy from the Vatican department that oversees all communications, known as the Dicastery for Communications.