priests on 9 January 1999. He was thought a likely candidate to head the Secretariat of State when the post became vacant in December 1990, but was probably not appointed because the Polish pope thought it best to fill the position with an Italian. He was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 1 July 1988 to 21 January 1992 and prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life from 21 January 1992 to 11 February 2004, when he resigned. While in that post, he collaborated with other senior prelates to obtain the release of former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet from house arrest in Great Britain in 2000. In 2001, he responded to reports that his congregation had failed to respond to reports of abuse of nuns by priests in Africa and many other countries by appointing a committee to investigate, but declined to comment publicly During his tenure as prefect his congregation issued a ruling that transsexuals be prohibited from entering religious orders and that anyone who had undergone sex-change surgery be expelled or suspended from their order. A letter outlining the policy was sent to the heads of religious orders, but otherwise kept secret. In April 2010, a journalistic investigation identified Martínez Somalo as one of several senior curial officials who had supported Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legion of Christ who was expelled from the priesthood in 2006, despite numerous charges of serious misconduct against him. Martínez Somalo accepted cash payments from Maciel while heading the dicastery responsible for "investigating any complaints about religious orders or their leaders". He took no action on 1997 reports that Maciel had abused nine seminarians. Martínez Somalo refused to be interviewed about Maciel and the Legion. Camerlengo On 5 April 1993 Martínez was named Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, an office of special importance when the papacy is vacant. He held that post until 4 April 2007. He was the acting sovereign of Vatican City for 17 days from the death of Pope John Paul II to the election of Pope Benedict XVI. As camerlengo, Martínez Somalo was responsible for verifying the death of Pope John Paul. Just minutes after his death, he performed the traditional ritual, proclaimed he had died, and removed his ring. He presided at certain of his funeral rites. On 8