Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the cardinal chamberlain, or camerlengo, will officially be in charge of Vatican affairs until a new pope is elected. Alessandro Bianchi / Reuters file
Without A Pope, Who's Running The Catholic Church? -- M. Alex Johnson, NBC
With Benedict XVI's abdication taking effect Thursday, the Roman Catholic Church has no pope until the conclave of cardinals settles on a new one. Like many other procedures of the church, the rules for running the institution during this period are ancient and little-known. Here are answers to questions you might have about exactly what happens when the papacy changes hands:
Who's in charge now?
When a monarch leaves, the period before the new king or queen takes over is called an interregnum. In the Roman Catholic Church, it's called a sede vacante (or "empty seat"). The Cardinal Chamberlain, or Camerlengo — currently Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone — is in charge of running the church, working with three cardinal assistants who are chosen at random and are replaced every three days.
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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials
The Pope as Diplomat: How the Vatican Does Foreign Policy -- Edward Pentin, Foreign Affairs
A Vatican Spring? -- Hans Kung, New York Times
How Kerry Can Achieve Peace in Middle East -- Cecily Hilleary, Voice of America
Will limited US aid to Syria rebels hasten the end of war, or prolong it? -- Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor
A Third Intifada? -- Matthew Duss, The American Prospect
Abbas needs an heir apparent: A succession plan for the Palestinian Authority is vital to future peace prospects. -- Jonathan Schanzer, L.A. Times
A proposed endgame for the Iranian nuclear crisis -- Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
The challenge from China -- Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post
Can Thai peace talks with rebels succeed? -- Jonathan Head, BBC
The Radicalization of African Islam -- Dawit Giorgis, National Interest
Spain's economic crisis has an unexpected victim: journalism -- Andrés Cala, Christian Science Monitor
Italy Chooses Decline -- IBD Editorial
Venezuela’s Future: Whose Health Is Worse—Hugo Chávez’s or the Opposition’s? -- Girish Gupta, Time
End of Castros -- Winnipeg Free Press Editorial