What The New Job Specs Are

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But a funny--or, rather, somber--thing happened during John Paul's hard final days. Vatican handicappers realized that there is a downside to an old Pope and a short papacy. A Vatican official who watched several electors view John Paul's body says, "The look in their eyes said the unstated, [that] the last thing we'd want is a decrepit [Pontiff]." Now fans of the interim solution have reluctantly had to return to regarding the full spectrum of Cardinal options.

So rather suddenly, the speculations and assumptions about papal succession--the sort bandied while a Pope still lives--undergo sober reassessment in the cold light of his passing. The theoretical contracts rather alarmingly into the real, conversations with the outside world truly do taper off, and the 115 men who now stand before one of the most important decisions they will ever make are reminded of precisely why they pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance in their task. --With reporting by Jordan Bonfante, Emma di Ravello and Jeff Israely/ Rome; Jeff Chu/ New York; and Marguerite Michaels/ Chicago