Papal transition: How much do you know?
Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world with his surprise announcement earlier in February that he was stepping down as the head of the Catholic Church.
The move prompted an avalanche of questions that even the most learned Vatican scholars didn't have all the answers to, in no small part because a pope hasn't retired in 600 years.
In the following pages, test your knowledge of all things pope-related.
The Associated Press contributed some portions of the text to this post.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
How many other popes have retired?
Answer on the next page.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
The question of the number of popes who have retired is a bit of a trick question, in that the answer is based on a murky historical record.
The short answer is, scholars are certain that at least four popes stepped down while still alive, but as many as eight may have. For a more detailed answer, click here.
Benedict IX sold the papacy to his godfather and retired around 1044. Gregory VI, Benedict IX's godfather, was forced to resign around 1046 because he bought the papacy. Celestine V resigned in 1294 after being pope for only five months because he was a hermit by inclination who was "unprepared and unfit" for the role. Gregory XII retired in 1425 to end what was known as the "Great Schism," a division over ideals within the Catholic Church that nearly brought the whole institution down.
Other popes that may have retired include: Pontian (became pope in 230 and likely resigned in 235); Marcellinus (became pope in 296 and resigned or died around 304); Liberius (became pope in 352 and may have resigned around 366); John XVIII (became pope in 1003 and resigned or died around 1009.)
Papal transition: How much do you know?
What will the pope be called in retirement?
Answer on the next page.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
His post-retirement title was something Benedict got to pick out himself, as the historical precedent may as well not exist.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Benedict had made the decision in consultation with others, settling on "Your Holiness Benedict XVI" and either "pope emeritus" or "Roman pontiff emeritus."
So the man born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger in 1927 in southern Germany will keep some of the trappings of the high office, while leaving titular room for his successor.
Lombardi said he didn't know why Benedict had decided to drop his other main title: bishop of Rome.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
What will the retired pope wear?
Answer on the next page.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
The pope will continue to wear a white cassock. In the weeks after Benedict's resignation announcement, Vatican officials had suggested that Benedict would likely resume wearing the traditional black garb of a cleric and would use the title "emeritus bishop of Rome" so as to not create confusion with the future pope.
Benedict's decision to call himself pope emeritus and to keep wearing white is sure to fan concern voiced privately by some cardinals about the awkward reality of having two popes, according to the Associated Press.
Two major differences in his post-retirement garb will be the lack of his trademark red shoes, as well as the "Ring of the Fisherman," an official part of the papal regalia.
Benedict has taken a liking to a pair of hand-crafted brown loafers made for him by artisans in Leon, Mexico, and given to him during his 2012 visit. He will wear those in retirement, a Vatican spokesman said
As for the ring, which contains the pope's formal seal, it will also be destroyed in the tradition of every passing pope.
"It will be broken at a particular moment, when that will happen is up to the college of cardinals," said Basilian Fr. Thomas Rosica, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
A new ring is cast in gold for each pope, and is destroyed upon his death (or in this case, retirement.)
It is tradition for the ring to be destroyed using a special silver hammer, symbolizing the end of the pope's authority.
Additionally, the ring -- which often bears the reigning pope's Latin name in raised lettering -- is used to seal official documents, and therefore its destruction helps ensure no one can forge the pope's approval after he moves or passes on.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
Where will the retired pope live?
Answer on the next page.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
Immediately after Pope Benedict XVI steps down, he will be whisked away by helicopter to Castel Gondolfo, the traditional summer residences of the sitting pontiff.
After a new pope has been chosen and enshrined, Benedict will return to Rome and take up residence in a former convent known as Mater Ecclesiae, in the southwest corner of the Vatican.
The pope is likely leaving the Vatican after he steps down so as to not give the impression of interference in the conclave which will choose his successor.
The former convent is also currently being renovated to prepare to house the soon-to-be-ex-pope.
One of the nuns that lived in the monastery where the Pope will retire told the Catholic News Agency his choice shows his "great simplicity" because it "is not a work of art or comparable with other Vatican buildings."
The Catholic News Agency reports the monastery is 4,300 square feet and lies just west of St. Peter's Basilica. It contains a chapel, a choir room, a library, a semi-basement, a terrace and a visiting room that was added in 1993.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
What will the retired pope do, exactly?
Answer on the next page.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
At his final public address, Pope Benedict XVI said: "I have had moments of joy and light, but also moments that haven't been easy ... moments of turbulent seas and rough winds."
When retired, the pope is likely to do nothing but take it easy and avoid those turbulent seas. He has said he is retiring to a lifetime of prayer and meditation "hidden from the world."
Officially, the Vatican said Benedict will be stripped of all his official duties, and that he will spend time praying and reading selections from his 20,000-book collection. It is likely that the new pope and the College of Cardinals will consult Benedict on some matters, although no official arrangement has been announced.
Benedict may receive the same stipend all retired clerics get -- which is estimated to be around $3,000 monthly -- but by all accounts he won't have to spend much because the Vatican is likely to furnish him with all his needs, including a small staff.
Benedict was rumored to be working on another encyclical, which is a papal letter to the church. The Catholic News Agency reports the in-progress cyclical was about faith and "it was to have formed a trilogy of encyclicals on the theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity."
The pope also enjoys playing the piano and, according to the BBC, watching old black-and-white comedies.
The pope also allegedly loves cats, and at least one apparently lives at his future residences.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
What's going to happen to the pope's social media accounts?
Answer on the next page.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
Much like his signatory ring, the Pope Benedict XVI's Twitter account will also be "destroyed," or in this case, deactivated when he retires. He has no other official social media presence.
Vatican Radio has said the @pontifex twitter account and it's nine-language equivalents will be removed, and it's up to his successor to create new ones, if he so chooses.
With more than 2 million followers the pope ushered in a new era of online interaction for the Vatican. Below are his first and last tweets.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
What will happen to the pope's personal secretary, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein?
Answer on the next page.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
To make a long story short, Archbishop George Gaenswein will split his time between the new pope and the old.
The decision about what to do with the man the German press calls "the George Clooney of the Vatican," has been a bit of a controversial issue as Benedict retires because he will be obligated to serve both pontiffs. Officially, he is the prefect of the papal household, but he is also beholden to his old master.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Gaenswein will live with Benedict at the monastery inside the Vatican and keep his day job as prefect of the new pope's household.
Asked about the potential conflicts, Lombardi was defensive, saying the decisions had been clearly reasoned and were likely chosen for the sake of simplicity.
"I believe it was well thought out," he said.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
Who will be the next pope?
Answer on the next page.
Papal transition: How much do you know?
This last question is another trick question, because the truth is no one knows.
The new pope can only be chosen by a two-thirds majority by the College of Cardinals during the coming conclave. (There are going to be an estimated 117 cardinals in this conclave.)
Pope John Paul II had during his reign amended the rules of the long-held tradition of a two-thirds majority so that after a few rounds of voting, if no pope was chosen, a simple majority (50 percent plus 1,) could be used to elect a pope. However, Benedict, his successor, changed the rules back in 2007, thus the concern among many that this conclave could last a long time and the uncertainty around who can win.
While every Catholic is technically eligible to be pope, only a handful of non-cardinals have ever been chosen, and it's been several hundred years since the last time that happened.
There may be pressure on the cardinals to choose a pope from the Southern Hemisphere for the first time, because that is where the Catholic Church is experiencing its strongest popularity and influence these days, as well as its greatest growth.
The Religious News Service has a fun bracket-style tournament for picking the next pope. They listed 16 cardinals as favorites, who are as follows: Timothy Dolan (United States), Sean O'Malley (United States), Marc Ouellet (Canada), Norberto Rivera Carrera (Mexico), Joao Braz de Aviz (Brazil), Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduras), Leonardo Sandri (Argentina), Odilo Pedro Scherer (Brazil), Peter Erdo (Hungary), Gianfranco Ravasi (Italy), Christoph Schoenborn (Austria), Angelo Scola (Italy), John Onaiyekan (Nigeria), Robert Sarah (Guinea), Luis Antonio Tagle (Philippines), and Peter Turkson (Ghana.)
The fact that there are so many names on the list indicates just how wide open this race might be.