BERTONE ASSUMES OFFICE UNTILE NEW POPE EMERGES

Bertone Takes Charge Until New Pope Is Elected . Cardical Tarcisio Bertone, who was the Deputy to Pope Benedict XVI, whose resignation took effect Friday, would be in charge of the over 1.2 billion Catholics across the world until a new Pope is elected later this month by the College of Cardinals.

The Italian and Vatican diplomat was born on December 2, 1934, and is currently Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo. He will serve as (day-to-day) administrator of the Holy See and acting head of state of the Vatican City State.
He previously served as Archbishop of Vercelli from 1991 to 1995 and Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, when Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) was Prefect, and Archbishop of Genoa from 2002 to 2006.Read on after the cut.
Bertone was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003 and named Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati on May 10, 2008.
Pope Benedict XVI, who left the Vatican aboard a helicopter to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome on his final day as Pope yesterday, said he “will simply be a pilgrim”, starting his last journey on earth.
With his formal exit from the position, the Roman Catholic Church enters a period known as Sede Vacante or Vacant See, the transition between the end of one papacy and the start of another, leading to a senior cardinal (in this case Bartone), being referred as camerlengo or chamberlain, temporarily taking over interim powers of the Catholic Church until the emergence of a new Pontiff.
Unlike previous papal conclaves assembled on the death of a pope, Bertone won’t need to certify any death certificate, as this year’s conclave resulted from a resignation.
But he would need to destroy the Fisherman’s Ring to symbolise the end of papacy reign of His Holiness Benedict XVI, as well as to prevent forgery during the time of the vacancy.
Work inside the Vatican does not end with the exit of Benedict XVI, especially regarding paper work, correspondences and meetings, as with or without a pope, the system must run, and it is Bertone’s job to see that they are done.
But he has no authority to publish or release documents, nominate new bishops or approve decrees and rulings for Catholic educational institutions and orders, as only the Pope has the authority to do so.
In essence, anything that must be issued in the name of the Vatican or in the name of the Pope must be approved by Pope Benedict’s successor, according to The Catholic Leader.
From Friday, all stamps issued by the Vatican post office will reflect the Vacant See and this will be so until a new Pope is installed.
The camerlengo it is who places the seal on the Pope’s study and bedroom and takes possession of the Apostolic Palace, “safeguarding and administering the goods and temporal rights of the Holy See” until a new Pope is elected. On Thursday night, Bertone sealed the papal apartment, which will not be reopened until a new Pope is elected.
On Monday, the cardinals will begin meetings to set the conclave date and discuss problems facing the church.
A priest of the Salesian Order, Bertone was trained as a canon lawyer and taught in various Roman universities for several years before coming to work for the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger at the Vatican’s doctrine office in 1995.

Nigerian Cardinals In The Race

THE Catholic Church in Nigeria has at least three cardinals: Cardinal Francis Arinze, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie and Cardinal John Onaiyekan, all of who could vote.
Arinze, born in November 1932 at Eziowelle, Anambra State, will turn 80 in November this year, while Okogie retired at the mandatory retirement age of 75 last year, leaving Onaiyekan, born in 1944 in Kabba, Kogi State, as the youngest.
Arinze is currently Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni (succeeding Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI) since 2005.
He was one of the principal advisors to Pope John Paul II, and was considered electable before the 2005 papal conclave, which elected Benedict XVI. He became a cardinal on May 25, 1985.
Okogie, who was born on June 16, 1936 in Lagos was ordained as a priest on December 11, 1966. He was named a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on October 21, 2003, and holds the title of Cardinal Priest of Santa Maria del Monte Carmelo a Mostacciano (Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel of Mostacciano in English).
Okogie was one of the cardinal electors that participated in the conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.
Onaiyekan, the Archbishop of Abuja and former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), was made a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on November 24, last year and was assigned the titular church of San Saturnino.