Photo from Flickr user lyonora, used under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 2.0). The announcement of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI from the papal throne, or, more specifically, the Supreme Pontificate of the Catholic Church, took the world by surprise on Monday, February 11, 2013. The resignation becomes effective on February 28. The period following that date is known as a sede vacante or papal interregnum, lasting until the conclave of cardinals chooses a new Pope. Marianistas.org's blog reports that Benedict is the first pope to resign since Celestine V in 1294 and provides more background here [es]. It then shares [es] a few details about the formalities surrounding the resignation and the upcoming conclave: - El actual Código de Derecho Canónico, promulgado por la autoridad de Juan Pablo II en 1983, en el capítulo “Del Romano Pontífice y del Colegio Episcopal” (Parte II, Sección I), canon 332, párrafo 2: “Si el Romano Pontífice renunciase a su oficio, se requiere para la validez que la renuncia sea libre y se manifieste formalmente, pero no que sea aceptada por nadie.” - De acuerdo con las declaraciones realizadas por el P. Lombardi, Benedicto XVI no tomará parte en el próximo cónclave, desplazará su residencia a Castelgandolfo hasta que llegue el día de la renuncia, el cónclave se celebrará en marzo, los ángelus y audiencias se sucederán de la forma habitual pudiendo ser momentos de expresión de afecto al Papa. También dijo que el Papa irá a vivir a un monasterio de clausura que se encuentra en el interior del Vaticano y que actualmente está en reformas. - De acuerdo con la normativa que rige el cónclave, este debe ser convocado cuando entre los 15 y 20 días después de que quede la sede vacante. Esto en el caso de la muerte del Papa. No se explícita si debe ser igual en el caso de renuncia. He aquí la normativa para el gobierno de la Iglesia en periodo vacante. -The current Code of Canon Law, enacted under John Paul II in 1983, in the chapter “The Roman Pontiff and the College of Bishops” (Part II, Section I), canon 332, paragraph 2: “If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone.” -According to statements made by Fr. Federico Lombardi, Benedict XVI will not take part in the first conclave; he will move to Castel Gandolfo at the time of his resignation; the conclave will take place in March; his Angelus addresses and audiences will go on as usual, and people will come to show their affection for the Pope. He also said that the Pope will move to a cloistered monastery within the Vatican that is currently being renovated. -According to the rules governing the conclave, it must be called within fifteen to twenty days after the seat is left empty—this is the case when a Pope dies. They do not explicitly state whether the same rules stand in the case of a resignation. Here are the rules for government of the Church during a vacancy [es]. The blog Tan antigua y tan nueva also posted a brief analysis [es] of the papacy of Benedict XVI: Le ha tocado un papado expuesto a toda la sociedad mediática mundial, a un hombre tan poco dado a la escena. Puso a un hombre fuerte: el cardenal Bertone, al que han atacado hasta la saciedad con todos los medios en contra hombres de la misma iglesia, como la patética figura de Viganó, que al final se han salido con la suya dando la imagen de una miseria interior en la iglesia. […] La renuncia del Papa es el triunfo de los enemigos. No vamos a juzgar al Papa. También será que el Papa no ha querido que vuelva a repetirse la penosísima imagen de Juan Pablo II en su último período. He had a papacy that was open to the international media culture, for a man not used to the spotlight. He appointed a strong man: Cardinal Bertone, who has been endlessly attacked by all possible means from within the church, like the pathetic Viganó, who has ultimately gotten away with depicting an image of the church in distress… The resignation of the Pope is a triumph for his enemies. We are not going to judge the Pope. It could also be that the Pope does not want to recall the excruciating appearance of John Paul II in his last term. Besides the clerical establishment, bloggers, Catholic or not, have also been expressing their views on the situation. For example, Ginés J.