 An unidentified archbishop said his posting in Madrid was "an irrelevant decade" in which he had no influence on church affairs and never felt comfortable with the political environment.Initially Cardinal Antonio María Rouco Varela did not need a nuncio to communicate with the Vatican and the election of Pope Francis, who has his own Spanish contacts, ended any influence he might have had.On 4 July 2019, Pope Francis accepted his resignation from his diplomatic positions.