Pope Francis with Vatican spokesman Greg Burke and deputy Vatican spokesperson Paloma Garcia Ovejero .VATICAN CITY: The spokesman for Vatican and his deputy resigned suddenly on Monday, an official statement said.It gave no reason for resignation of Greg Burke, an American, and Paloma Garcia Ovejero, a Spaniard.

They quit two weeks after Pope Francis appointed an Italian journalist and personal friend, Andrea Tornielli, to become editorial director of all Vatican communications."Paloma and I have resigned, effective Jan.

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At this time of transition in Vatican communications, we think it's best Holy Father is completely free to assemble a new team," Burke tweeted.Burke, 59, a former Rome-based reporter for Fox News, joined Vatican in 2012 as an advisor in Vatican's Secretariat of State and become spokesman in 2016.

He is a member of conservative Catholic group Opus Dei.Ovejero, 43, a former reporter for Spanish radio network COPE, was one of highest-ranking women in Vatican.The Vatican said Alessandro Gisotti, an Italian journalist believed to be close to Tornielli, would be spokesperson for interim.(Except for headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)