In this press communication, the Holy See has officially announced that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Director and the Vice Director of the Holy See Press Office, Mr. Greg Burke and Ms. Paloma García Ovejero.
In turn, he has appointed Alessandro Gisotti, as the new Director of the Holy See Press Office. He has been working as the Coordinator of Social Media of the Communication Department.
He published a brief comment thanking the pope for the position, saying: “I will try to fulfill the task entrusted to me in the best of my ability, with that spirit of service to the Church and to the pope.”
Assuming their positions in July 11, 2016, both Ovejero and Burke were the first papal spokespersons from outside the Vatican, coming in as professional journalists from COPE, Fox News and Time Magazine.
American Greg Burke tweeted about his time at the Vatican, saying: “The experience has been fascinating, to say the least. Thank you, Pope Francis.” He also goes on to say, “At this time of transition in Vatican communications, we think it’s best the Holy Father is completely free to assemble a new team.”
Spanish Paloma García Ovejero also sent out a tweet in Spanish translating to: “Ending a chapter. Thank you, Holy Father, for these two and a half years! Thank you, Greg, for your trust, your patience and your example.”
The resignation and futher change within the Vatican is effective Jan. 1, 2019.
