[NYer]

As a protestant I find the various traditions a bit too much and odd sometimes. But that is mostly due to a lack of knowledge or miss understanding of them. The explanation of the red shoes and the ring in this thread was interesting.

The same is probably true for many catholics ;-) As with Hot Tabasco, I would encourage you to follow the interregnum and conclave on EWTN. The staff provide fascinating information on how these traditions began and their significance, if any. For example, after the pope left the Vatican today, both his apartments and private elevator were sealed.

There's a wealth of interesting facts regarding these protocols here.

[21twelve]

Thanks for the link. An example of how rare this resignation is - the terms on the website all refer to things like “when the pope dies....”

From your post, that one sentence I hope to see someday in print about someone else’s early resignation;

“...after the president left the White House, both his apartments and private elevator were sealed.”