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February 12, 2013

Pope Benedict's resignation will set in motion period of transition

The cover of a cardinal's prayer book from the last papal transition is imprinted with the Vatican insignia representing a vacant Holy See. The emblem is used between the death of a pope and the election of a new one -- a period known as the "interregnum ." The Holy See will be considered vacant with the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI Feb. 28.

VATICAN CITY - While the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is a first for the church in centuries, it also leads to a complicated period of transition that ends in the election of a new pope.

Published in International