FOX NEWS Reporter Amy Kellogg

VATICAN CITY - As Pope Benedict XVI steps down, the church prepares to elect a new leader. Pope Benedict becomes the first Pontiff to step down in nearly 600 years. That decision paving the way for a closed-door conclave in the coming weeks, where the College of Cardinals will pick the new pope.

"The next steps are the Cardinals from all over the world going back to Rome, that'll happen probably in the next couple of weeks," says FOX NEWS Contributor Father Jonathan Morris. "Then gather together to elect a new pope."

Benedict hand-picked 67 of the 118 Cardinals eligible to vote, almost ensuring his conservative legacy and an orthodox future for the church.

"I think they will look for somebody who will continue the intellectual, the pastoral mission of John Paul II and Benedict XVI," says Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus Carl Anderson.

The majority of the Cardinals are also Europeans, leading some to believe they have an idea which way the voting will go.

"They want to bring it back to Italy," says Father Edward Beck. "A quarter of those Europeans that will vote are Italians. I would put my money on an Italian and quite possibly Archbishop of Milan."

"There will be people like myself explaining why it might be this person or that person over the next few weeks, but we don't know," says Morris.

Benedict passed a Decree in 2007 requiring a 2/3 majority to elect a Pope, changing the rules established by Pope John Paul II, who decided voting could shift to a simple majority after 12 days of inconclusive voting. Despite this being a retirement vs. death, what's ahead is expected to be the same. The ring of St. Peter will be destroyed and the Papal Apartments are expected to be sealed during the conclave. You can see any developments 24/7 at Fox17.com.
Pope's bombshell sends troubled church scrambling