Papal telegram of condolence for death of Spain’s former PM Suárez Gonzalez

(Vatican Radio) Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram expressing condolences on behalf of Pope Francis for the death of Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez Gonzalez. The telegram reads “His Holiness expresses his deepest condolences, with accompanying prayers of intercession to the Lord for the eternal rest of this eminent figure of the recent Spanish era. With these sentiments, he imparts to his family and to all who mourn this deep loss, his apostolic blessing as a sign of Christian hope in the Risen Lord.”

Suarez died Sunday in a Madrid hospital at age 81. He had had Alzheimer's disease for a decade.


In 1976, King Juan Carlos chose Suarez to guide the country toward a democratic parliamentary monarchy after Franco's death a year earlier.


He was prime minister until 1981 and retired from politics in 1991.