THE VATICAN: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the German Cardinal who is the Vatican's chief doctrinal watchdog, has been elected dean of the sacred College of Cardinals which elects the Pope, Vatican officials said yesterday.
The post is the most powerful within the Catholic Church after the papacy itself, and strengthens Cardinal Ratzinger's hand as a "papabile", those considered most likely to succeed Pope John Paul II.
The 75-year-old prelate is the long-time prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a Vatican body charged with overseeing doctrinal issues.
His unanimous election in a vote by six Cardinal Bishops from suburban dioceses of Rome, which was tasked with choosing a successor to the outgoing Cardinal Dean Bernardin Gantin, still has to be ratified by the Pope. Cardinal Ratzinger will be the only prelate with the right to an audience with the Pope at any time. - (AFP)