With Pope John Paul seriously ill, four cardinals and a trusted archbishop are effectively running the day-to-day business of the Vatican.
The four cardinals are all considered possible future popes. The Pope must approve all major decisions - even if only by nodding his head or scribbling his name on a document.
The five aides are:
- Cardinal Angelo Sodano (Italian, 77): Secretary of State (prime minister) and second to the Pope in the hierarchy. A former Church diplomat, he caused a stir in February by publicly mentioning that a pontiff could resign.
- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (German, 77): the Vatican's top doctrinal watchdog as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Conservatives have cheered and liberals fumed at his strict orthodoxy and iron hand against dissent.
- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re (Italian, 71): as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, he draws up the lists of new bishops for the Pope to approve. The ultimate insider, he ranks as an top administrator but has little pastoral experience.
- Cardinal Camillo Ruini (Italian, 74): the Pope's vicar as Bishop of Rome and head of the Italian Bishops' Conference. His two posts make him the most powerful cardinal in Italy and a key figure exerting Church influence in Italian politics.
- Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz (Polish, 65): as the Pope's private secretary, he controls all access to the Pontiff and has grown in influence as John Paul's condition has deteriorated. Loyal and discreet, he is not considered a possible successor.