Who's in charge of the Church now?

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - With Pope Benedict XVI now retired , there is a void atop the Catholic Church. So who is in charge until a new pope is elected?

The Church is run by a committee of Cardinals until a successor to Benedict has been selected. Normally, the College of Cardinals is not allowed to select a new pope for 15-20 days after the office becomes vacant, but for the last 600 years, that has been because the previous pope has died. 

This process is expected to got a little quicker this time around. 

The Cardinals will decide at a general meeting, likely next week, when to hold a conclave; the official meeting of the Cardinals to elect a new pope. During the conclave, ballots are passed around, and the 117 Cardinals eligible to vote will write-in a candidate’s name and fold it up.  The voting is secret, but ballots are counted out in the open.

Father Bill Pomerleau, Pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Springfield, told 22News that once the conclave has started, it may not take very long before a new pope is chosen.

“Once the conclave starts, if history is any guide; recent history, it should be over in a couple days,” Pomerleau said. “They keep voting until they have a 2/3 majority.”

Pomerleau told 22News that he expects a new Pope to be elected sometime in March. Once the Cardinals agree and the new pope has accepted, white smoke will pour out of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney and bells will sound.