Prayers for the Pope

Word has recently come that Pope John Paul II received the sacrament (Catholics consider it a sacrament, protestants do not) of the anointing of the sick( aka last rites or extreme unction.) I think that you would have to have been hiding under a rock to escape the knowledge that the Pope has been ill. It is important to note that this sacrament is for more than just those close to death. It is also for those who are very ill and it may be repeated.

Firstly, I wish to extend my prayers both for John Paul II, and for the Roman Catholic church. May God guide the doctors tending to the Pope and also the leaders of the church.

This all got me thinking about what exactly will happen when the Pope dies. After some discussion with the person known to this blog as "pjh," he directed me to this site. It has an explanation of some of the changes which John Paul has made to the process during his Papacy and the influence that they may have of the identity of the next pope.