VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict XVI has named Italian cardinal and Vatican secretary of state Tarcisio Bertone as the new camerlingo of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

Bertone, 72, who will replace Spanish cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo following his retirement at the age of 80, will thus be required to step in as interim pontiff if Benedict XVI dies. The camerlingo cardinal presides over the apostolic chamber which handles the pope's secular affairs.

Besides his main task of convening all the cardinals for a conclave at the time of the pope's death, the title is largely honorary.

The word “camerlingo” stems from the Italian word “camera”, or chamber, and basically means a “chamberlain”.

Cardinal Somalo was appointed camerlingo by pope John Paul II in 1993. He functioned as interim pontiff during the period between the late pope's death on April 2, 2005, and the election of Benedict XVI on April 19 of the same year. Benedict XVI will celebrate his 80th birthday on April 16.—AFP