Pope Benedict XVI

In his first public comments on the latest scandal rocking the Vatican, Pope Francis told followers in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that the theft of documents describing financial malfeasance inside the Holy See was a "crime" but pledged to continue reforms of its administration.

The smoke emerging from the Vatican's Sistine Chapel chimney and the subsequent ringing of the bells on Wednesday has signaled that the Conclave has elected a new pope of the Catholic Church.

Whether this is the stuff of myth or legend we do not know, but like Celestine V, we can be certain that Benedict XVI’s resignation will leave it’s mark on history.

Pope's retirement package: After Pope Benedict XVI retires, he will get a 2,500-euro pension, a home in the Vatican, and other amenities. How does his retirement package compare with others?

Pope Benedict XVI is only the second pope in the Church's history we know to have resigned of his own free will—several others have stepped down under circumstances only hazily preserved by history.

The world of papal betting gives and unlikely window into the most popular candidates.