Pope Benedict XVI will not interfere in choosing his successor after his shock decision to resign at the end of the month, the pontiff's brother has said.
Georg Ratzinger told the BBC the Pope would only "make himself available" if he were needed.
Benedict said on Monday he would resign after nearly eight years as the head of the Catholic Church because he was too old to continue at the age of 85.
The Vatican now says it expects a new Pope to be elected before Easter.
The unexpected development - the first papal resignation in nearly 600 years - surprised governments, Vatican-watchers and even Benedict's closest aides.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 after John Paul II's death.
The BBC's David Willey in Rome says that in theory there has never been anything stopping Pope Benedict or any of his predecessors from stepping aside.
Under the Catholic Church's governing code, Canon Law, the only conditions for the validity of such a resignation are that it be made freely and be properly published.
But resignation is extremely rare: the last Pope to step aside was Pope Gregory XII, who resigned in 1415 amid a schism within the Church.
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