Mystery shrouds identity of Pope's 'secret' cardinal

In Vatican parlance, that secrecy is known as "in pectore". In layman's terms, it means 'nobody else knows'.

The Vatican on Monday said that the Pope had left no special instructions to his successor about the identity of the cardinal. Not even the new cardinal knows, and as the Pope is now dead, the honour that was his to bestow could have died with him.

Some Vatican watchers suspect that he may have left a note identifying his choice, who, once named by the Vatican, would automatically join the College of Cardinals which will elect his successor.

The mystery stems from October 2003 when John Paul II nominated 31 cardinals at a consistory, which coincided with the 25th anniversary of his election as Pope, saying he was keeping the identity of one a secret, without revealing why.