The Man Incharge of the VATICAN until New Pope Is Elected

CARDINAL 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. Bertone was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003 and named Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati on May 10, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI, who has left the Vatican aboard a helicopter to the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome on his final day as Pope, 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.