VATICAN CITY, April 21 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI has reappointed senior Vatican officials to their posts in a signal that he sees his papacy as a continuation of his predecessor's.
The BBC said that Cardinal Angelo Sodano resumes his position as secretary of state, the pope's chief lieutenant. At 77, Sodano is two years past the normal retirement age.
There is one open position, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the pope's job as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The BBC mentions two likely candidates, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Austria and Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. Before the election, Schoenborn was widely reported to be a possible successor to Pope John Paul II.
The new pontiff is to be formally installed on Saturday.
