  The properties of the presumably young galactic supernova remnant (SNR) RX
J0852.0-4622, discovered by ROSAT, are still uncertain. The data concerning the
distance to the SNR, its age, and the presence of a compact remnant remain
controversial. We report the results of several XMM-Newton observations of CXOU
J085201.4-461753, the central compact source in RX J0852.0-4622. The currently
prefered interpretation of CXOU J085201.4-461753 being a neutron star is in
line with our analysis. The Chandra candidate pulsation periods are not
confirmed; actually no period was found down to a 3-sigma upper limit for any
pulsed fraction. The spectrum of CXOU J085201.4-461753 is best described by
either a two blackbody spectrum or a single blackbody spectrum with a high
energy power law tail. The two blackbody temperatures of 4 MK and 6.6 MK along
with the small size of the emitting regions with radii of 0.36 and 0.06 km
invalidate the interpretation that the thermal radiation is cooling emission
from the entire neutron star surface. The double blackbody model suggests
emission from the neutron star's hot polar regions. No X-ray lines, including
the emission feature previously claimed to be present in Chandra data, were
found.
