The Pontiff

The Pontiff has stepped. This is the first time in many centuries that a Pope has retired. The Catholic Church is, for now, without its singular leader, entering a time referred to as sede vacant, the "vacant see." Pope Benedict XVI passed into history, traveling north to the Castle of Gandolfo, with the words "I am simply a pilgrim."

The Cardinals must now meet, set the time and date to elect the new Pope who will guide the Church for the next while. In the meantime the Camerlingo will run the Church with aid from the Dean of the College of Cardinals, the Master of Liturgical Ceremonies and the Proto-Deacon. Read more here.

With well beyond one thousand six hundred years of organized history the Church is one of the oldest, longest lasting institutions created by man, rivaling the Dynasties of Egypt.