I'd find I could respect this thread quite a bit more if it weren't so obviously set up to take pot-shots at the Pope and Roman Catholicism in general.

First off, no matter what definition you are using, Catholics are Christians. If you want to say that they aren't you are free to do so but the fact remains that by both definition and belief you are dead wrong. Not only are Catholics Christians, by the way, but they are the FIRST Christians. Catholicism evolved from the gradual split from Judaism after the death of Jesus, and it is probably safe to say that they became their own, independant and recognized faith after the Bible was completed under the Roman Emperor Constantine.

Secondly, the next person to be Pope will be a Cardinal who is, as Unne said, chosen by an assembly of Cardinals. The Pope's time is drawing to a close, and there are many precedents for his replacement. I don't believe I need to detail them because Unne was kind enough to post the links to sites that do it for me.

And finally, the state of the Vatican is something that should be taught in both religious and secular schools because it is not strictly a religious subject. Any school that teaches about countries and borders must recognize the Vatican as its own independant state, it is wrong to say it is merely a part of Italy.

EDIT: There IS a reason one of the major Christian denominations is called the "Protestant" movement.