There are few more dramatic moments in the life of the Church than the election of a new pope. Until the resignation of Pope Benedict there was usually some warning; often an illness that preceded death for an elderly Pontiff.
But given the place precedence plays in the life of the church, the fact that Pope Francis has been raising the possibility of his resignation recently has fuelled a torrent of speculation.
Firstly, does he mean it? And then, equally dramatically, who would he be replaced by?
