Cardinal Backing Up Pontiff Has Stroke

VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Paolo Bertoli, the chamberlain nominally in charge of the Roman Catholic Church in the Pope’s absence or death, has suffered a stroke and is semi-paralyzed, the Vatican said Tuesday.

Bertoli, 76, considered a strong candidate for the papacy during the two 1978 conclaves, has been in a private Rome clinic since Jan. 10. Vatican sources said Pope John Paul II, who appointed Bertoli to the important post of chamberlain in 1979, might decide to replace him before the pontiff leaves on a South American tour Saturday.