In Coat of Arms of the Holy See you can find the coat of arms of John Paul II, as well as the flag of the Vatican City State and the coat of arms of the Holy See.
At present, the Sede Vacante has resulted in a change to the official symbol of the Holy See, the tiara replaced by an ombrellino or clerical umbrella: Ioannes Paulus II and also explained here: Heraldry of Catholic Clerics.
An explanation of the papacy in Catholic terms is here: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: The Pope. A discussion of the sources for chronicling the popes is here: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Chronological Lists of Popes. The official list of popes with links to biographical data on most, is here: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: List of Popes.
A good summary of the papal election as modified by John Paul II is here: Inside the Vatican – April ’96 – Page 18. Thomas J. Reese, SJ was the author of a fascinating book on the politics and organization of the Catholic Church and will be periodically clarifying procedural matters here: Papal Transition: On papal conclave & election of the next pope by Thomas J. Reese, S.J..
