In examining his coup d'état of the papacy, I believe he took power. The details of Benedict's ouster were covered in the Italian and foreign press much better than here in the US. Frightening and scary.
If the vatican fell into the hands of puppeteers... hmm.
Even Benedict seemed to be pretty wimpy, given the modern capabilities at the hands of popes. He could just bring up disobedient dioceses’ websites right on his desktop.