The Pope is resigning. How does a living pope confer his authority? I read that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning. I don't know much about Catholic/papal authority as it relates to leading the Church, but as far as I can remember, a pope dies before another one takes the reigns. Apparently, this has happened before, but how does the living pope confer that authority to a successor, since he's still alive? Since he resigned, is his authority to lead the Catholic church removed from him, or how does that work?
Yes, as the Pope said in his resignation speech, he gives up the office and it is for those whose duty it is to convoke the conclave and elect a successor &mdash; just as it would be if he had died.

As a cardinal, he's entitled to attend the conclave (but he probably won't) but he can't vote because he's over eighty.