Pope Francis replaced Benedict in 2013 (Image: GETTY)
The decision further strengthened Francis growing appeal with liberals inside, and outside of the church, with Sister Becquart becoming undersecretary of the synod of bishops.
It sees Sister Becquart become the first woman to vote on church matters.
The move was hailed by secretary general of the synod, Cardinal Mario Grech, who said it showed Francis desire to have a greater participation of women in the decision-making in Catholicism had been realised.
Critics claim Benedict continues to hamper Francis, and his bid to rid the Catholic church of its seemingly outdated traditions.
The spat between the two has left many observers fearing for the fate of the church - especially if Francis is unable to fulfil his mandate of dragging Catholicism into the 21st century.
Vatican news: Pope Francis delivers prayers in 2014 (Image: GETTY)
Changes could be made that means a pope who resigns will resume the lower office of cardinal, and will not wear white, or make pronouncements on doctrine.
During his farewell speech, Benedict vowed to not interfere with his successor s agenda, despite claims he would later use his influence over the traditionalists within the church to ensure rituals such as celibacy continued to be observed.
The move was greeted with fanfare in some quarters, including by the Archbishop of Lagos, Alfred Adewale Martins, who said: Like he said in his own words, he acted with full freedom , being conscious of the deep spiritual implication of his action. by his decision, the Holy Father has acted gallantly and as such we must commend and respect his decision.
Pope Benedict remains inside the Vatican (Image: GETTY) The people want someone who cares, and Benedict never did. Finding a pastoral Pope like Francis must have seemed ideal, let him lead from the front while they rule from behind. Unfortunately he wasn t what they expected, so the traditionalist backlash started.
Benedict s resignation was the first time a living Pope had resigned since the 1400s, and some supporters were critical of his decision.
During his farewell speech, Benedict vowed to not interfere with his successor s agenda, despite claims he would later use his influence over the traditionalists within the church to ensure rituals such as celibacy continued to be observed.
Scott Pelley, host of CBS Evening News (Image: AMAZON PRIME)
He admitted that the cardinals couldn t have predicted the immediate positive response Francis appointment would garner, but added: I sometimes wonder whether there is any buyer s remorse in the past months and past year, among the cardinals. Did they really know what they were getting into?
Although there has been an overwhelming outpouring of support for Francis since he was installed in 2013, this sentiment - according to Clemente Lisi, assistant professor of journalism at The King s College in New York, started to crumble.
Pope Benedict while he was head of the Vatican (Image: GETTY)