Assistant to the Pontifical Throne. In 1978 he resigned due to poor health; becoming bishop emeritus of the diocese. From that moment onwards he departed from public life; offered residence in Pamplona, on insistence of the locals he chose to stay in Bilbao. Since 1984 he was in grave condition; in 1985 he suffered a stroke and died due to pulmonary disease. Reception and legacy In the late 1960s Añoveros acquired sort of a celebrity status; in the mid-1970s "caso Añoveros" became a major event discussed nationwide and far abroad, earning him position of a political protagonist. However, following his resignation the media focus shifted away. At times and usually due to his health problems mentioned in the press as bishop emeritus, he is now referred to as "living in the shadow" during the 1980s; it was rather his nephew, Jaime Garcia Añoveros, who at that time attracted more attention. Añoveros' death was noted by all major Spanish media and acknowledged with highly sympathetic obituaries, which underlined his interest in social issues and highlighted the 1974 showdown. It is also with reference to "caso Añoveros" that he was being occasionally noted by the press afterwards. Its 30th anniversary in 2014 produced some commemorative notes, all of them hailing the protagonist and crediting him for pro-democratic posture, social sensitivity, support for regional identities and endorsing a modern Church. He is generally counted among most progressive sections of the Spanish episcopate during late Francoism. At times is referred to as a role model, juxtaposed against unprogressive sectors of present-day Spanish clergy, though some authors consider him a conservative. He is particularly appreciated within the Basque realm, where some media name him, along Mateo Múgica and José María Setién, the key or the most quoted bishop in the history of the national Church. Remembered as "a good shepherd", Añoveros has even earned a poem in Basque. Attempts to commemorate Añoveros in public space are relatively modest; he is honored by one street, a short backyard drive in Puerto Real near Cádiz. In 2015 the Bilbao diocese set up Fundación canónica autónoma de Centros Diocesanos Antonio Añoveros, intended to support local religious educational establishments. He earned no scientific monograph so far, be it either a major volume or a review article, though "caso Añoveros" is treated at length in few works on the Francoist era. Though overwhelmingly appreciated as contributing to democratic transformation of