Papal Abdication?

I'm all for it. Look these guys take their papacies deep into their own physical and mental dotage, its a stressful job to be sure almost every Pope in my lifetime has stayed on the job at least three years too long. Nonetheless this IS the ex-Cardinal Ratzinger we are talking about a reactionary and the perfect Vatican Insider, so I very much doubt they haven't got the coming Conclave all fixed up. Undoubtedly The Pope has a successor in mind...as for who it may be, well remember technically, The Vatican is a sovereign government and such institutions love secrecy.