Vatican Disavows Former Nuncio's Comments On Francisco Franco's Exhumation - Press Service

Umer Jamshaid Published July 18, 2019 | 07:00 PM

The Vatican was not interfering in Spain's affairs regarding plans to rebury the remains of late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, and the declaration of Nuncio Renzo Fratini, who had expressed his disagreement with the exhumation, was considered to be his private opinion, Alessandro Gisotti, the acting director of the Holy See press office, said on Thursday

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) The Vatican was not interfering in Spain's affairs regarding plans to rebury the remains of late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, and the declaration of Nuncio Renzo Fratini, who had expressed his disagreement with the exhumation, was considered to be his private opinion, Alessandro Gisotti, the acting director of the Holy See press office, said on Thursday.

Prior to leaving his position as nuncio to Spain and Andorra, Renzo Fratini accused the Spanish authorities of attempting to "resurrect" Franco. He also declared that the decision was politically motivated. In response, Carmen Calvo, the acting deputy prime minister, accused Fratini of interfering in the country's affairs. The government of Spain issued a formal complaint.

"We stress that his [Fratini's] recent statements regarding the exhumation of Francisco Franco's remains have been made in his own name.

We also remind that the former apostolic nuncio to Spain has already refuted in the media the intention to opine on domestic politics," Gisotti said in his statement.

He assured that the Vatican respected Spain and its legal system.

In 2018, the new Socialist government announced its intention to rebury the remains of Franco. In August 2018, the government issued a Royal decree regarding changes to the so-called Historical Memory Law of 2007, according to which only those who died during the Spanish Civil War could buried at the Valley of the Fallen, which is Franco's burial place.

The exhumation, however, has not yet occurred, as the controversial issue made its way to the Spanish Supreme Court, which has not yet made its decision.