Q. and A. on the Papal Transition

As 115 cardinals prepare to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Times reporters covering the papal transition answered readers’ questions on the conclave process, the future of the church and the retirement of Pope Benedict XVI.

Q: Who is the leader of the Catholic Church during the time after one pope has died or retired and another has been selected

DANIEL J. WAKIN: The College of Cardinals collectively handles all important church matters, other than issues normally decided upon by the pope; last week, for example, the dean of the College of Cardinals sent a condolence note to Veneuela on their behalf for the death of Hugo Chávez. For unspecified day-to-day issues, a committee of three cardinals drawn by lot, as well as the cardinal designated the “camerlengo,” in this case Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, are in charge. Vatican departments continue with routine business, like paying the bills and dealing with paperwork.

Q: Has there been any evidence that Benedict XVI’s resignation was about more than just his poor health

ELISABETTA POVOLEDO: Speculation has been rife that health issues unknown to the general public, or perhaps something related to the Vatileaks scandal or some other scandal may have forced his decision, but the Vatican has repeatedly cited Benedict’s own words that he no longer had the strength to “adequately fulfill” his ministry.

The Vatican newspaper said that the pope had been seriously pondering the choice since a grueling trip to Mexio and Cuba in March 2012. We may never know the full truth; only after his resignation did the Vatican admit that the pope had had a pacemaker installed when he was still a cardinal, and that he had hit his head during the Mexico trip, drawing blood. Not enough to halt the trip, but enough to raise concerns.

Q: Is there any indication that the Catholic Church will become more progressive on issues such as the use of contraception and the acceptance of female priests under the next pope

LAURIE GOODSTEIN: Church analysts say that is very unlikely that the next pope will change course, despite building social pressure. The current cr! op of car! dinals are made in the mold of the popes who appointed them: 48 by John Paul II and 67 by Benedict XVI. Both popes held that the church has “no authority” to ordain women as priests, primarily because Jesus’ apostles were men. Even several cardinals who have recently said that the church should give women more prominent roles have drawn the line at the priesthood.

There appears to be slightly more motion on contraceptives. Some cardinals and theologians are urging that some forms of contraception be considered allowable in limited circumstances. The German bishops recently announced that they would consider allowing certain kinds of morning-after pills in Catholic hospitals for women who have been raped. And some cardinals and theologians say that the church should consider allowing married couples to use condoms when one of the partners has H.I.V./AIDS.

Q: /strong>How likely is the Catholic Church to report priests accused of molestation to secular authorities

LAURIE GOODSTEIN: It depends on whether the new pope is someone who understands that child sexual abuse is a crime that can damage a victim for life â€" and not, as some cardinals have said they believe, an accusation motivated by animus against the Catholic Church.

New policies on sexual abuse posted by the Vatican under Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 say that in countries where the law requires it, church officials should report priests who! have bee! n credibly accused of abuse to law enforcement authorities. But these policies are not binding, and the Vatican leaves it up to the bishops in each diocese to decide. While there is increasing awareness and improvement in how the church in the United States and some other countries has dealt with child sexual abuse, there are cases that have gone unreported to law enforcement.

One recent example is that of a pedophile priest in Kansas City, Mo., whose pornographic photographs of young girls were turned over to the diocese. Bishop Robert W. Finn did not alert the police about the enormity of the photographic evidence (another diocesan official eventually did), and the ishop has been convicted of a misdemeanor. The priest is now in prison, and victims advocacy groups have called for Bishop Finn to be removed from his position by the next pope. But while many abusive priests have indeed been defrocked after a legal proceeding within the church, it is the rare bishop who has been disciplined by the church for mismanaging abuse cases.

Q: Are there signs that the Catholic Church might be looking for a younger pope

LAURIE GOODSTEIN: Yes. Benedict was 78 when he was elected, the oldest pope chosen since Clement XII in 1730. He stepped down at 85, attributing the decision to advanced age and infirmity. Some ! cardinals! we interviewed in the past week said they were looking for the next pope to be someone younger and more energetic.

However, age is in no way the most important factor. Some Vatican observers have said that the resignation of Benedict could have the effect of reassuring the cardinals that any pope they elect â€" no matter his age â€" could resign if he is no longer up to the task. But there have been other reports that the cardinals agreed in their meetings this past week that the next pope should not plan on resigning because it creates too much chaos and uncertainty.

Q: What happens once the conclave begins How does the selection process for the next pope work Are cardinals allowed to caucus and deliberate in groups during the conclave And what happens if there is a deadlock What kind of time frame do thecardinals work on

DANIEL J. WAKIN: The cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel and hold up to four voting sessions a day there (beginning every day around 9:30 a.m. and leaving for lunch and dinner). They must reach a two-thirds majority to elect a pope. Each writes his choice on a ballot and places it in an urn. The ballots are mixed up and two scrutinizers read each name voted for, and then a third reads it out loud. The cardinals do deliberate, but mostly in the evening, not while they are in the Sistine Chapel.

If there is a deadlock after three days of voting, the cardinals are asked to take a break for a day of prayer, and then resume.
There is no way to predict when they will make a decision, but no conclave in the past 100 years has lasted more than five days. The average wait in the last century or so is two or three days.

Q: Is ther! e any effort under way to make the conclave more transparent to outsiders

DANIEL J. WAKIN: No. The process is highly secretive, with cardinals taking an oath never to reveal the proceedings, although the votes are recorded and deposited in a secret archive. The secrecy stems from safeguards against the interference in past centuries of emperors and kings.

Q: Is there an official language for the conclave, and are the cardinals provided with interpreters for their native or preferred language
DANIEL J. WAKIN: The common language is Italian, and there are no interpreters.

Q: What would happen in the event that a new pope is not elected before Holy Week

DANIEL J. WAKIN: That appears prety unlikely, but Vatican officials have not broached this topic. Presumably, the cardinals keep going.

Q: How will the growth of the Catholic Church around the world, particularly in Africa and Latin America, influence the selection of the next pope

LAURIE GOODSTEIN: Although the cardinals vote for a candidate based on their assessment of his attributes, there is no question that they are very attuned to the church’s current geography. They know that the church is most vibrant and growing in Africa and Asia, while it is shrinking in Europe. In the last conclave in 2005, a cardinal from Argentina was said to be the runner-up in the vote tally to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected and became Pope Benedict XVI. This time, some cardinals â€" even those from the United St! ates and ! Europe â€" have said in interviews that it would rejuvenate the entire church to elect a pope from the global south. But geography is only one factor among many in a papal conclave.

As I wrote last week, the cardinals gathered in Rome made telling remarks before they stopped giving interviews, citing attributes the church now needs: “a compelling communicator who wins souls through both his words and his holy bearing, and a fearless sheriff who can tackle the disarray and scandal in the Vatican.”

What is the proper way to refer to Benedict XVI now

ELISABETTA POVOLEDO: Benedict and Vatican officials weighed this question carefully. They deemed the construction His Holiness Benedict XVI, pope emeritus or roman pontiff emeritus most appropriate. But some church experts have expressed perplexity about the continued use of the word pope. â€"

Q: Is the pope emeritus considered infallible by the church and its followers

ELISABETTA POVOLEDO: No â€" and even a sitting pope is not considered infallible most of the time. As Rachel Donadio, the Rome bureau chief, wrote recently: “Papal pronouncements are only considered infallible when a pope speaks ‘ex cathedra,’ in his capacity as leader of the universal church, on questions of faith and morals. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, has repeatedly said that Canon Law ensures the infallibility of Benedict’s successor, and that once he ! retires, ! Benedict will no longer have the authority to promulgate dogma.”

Q: What happens to Benedict’s ceremonial garb Is it retired with him, or handed on to the next pope

ELISABETTA POVOLEDO: His ceremonial clothing will go into the collection of the papal sacristy, which is behind the Sistine Chapel. The next pope is free to wear the vestments, tailored to fit him, or can order new ones. The Roman tailoring shop Gammarelli has already prepared ceremonial wear â€" in three sizes â€" for the new pope to wear when he first appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The outfits are on show in their shop front window in downtown Rome and consist of a hand-stitched white cassock with a short white cape, and a silk sash with gold fringes. There is a short, red fur-lined elbowlength cape called a mozzetta. The pope also wears a white cap called a zucchetto, and red shoes, of course. Father Lombardi told reporters this week that the pope’s so-called Fisherman’s Ring had been rendered unusable as a seal, by making deep cuts in the face. Benedict will not get to keep it.

Q: Where will the pope emeritus spend the rest of his life

ELISABETTA POVOLEDO: The pope will live out his life in the Mater Ecclessiae convent inside Vatican City, which until last November hosted cloistered nuns entrusted with praying for the pope and the Curia.

Q: When Benedict dies, will he receive the same funeral rites and mourning period that a pope would receive

ELISABETTA POVOLEDO: So far, even the Vatican doesn’t know. An assistant to the Vatican spokesman, the Rev.! Thomas R! osica of the Congregation of St. Basil, said this was “one of the issues still up in the air because it’s all so brand new.”

There is also no word on where Benedict will be buried.