I, BENEDICT XVI

Pope Delivers Final ‘Angelus’

Amid Vatican anger over gay sex-scandal rumors.

The Vatican took a break from chastising the media for “defamatory” reports in order to honor Pope Benedict XVI’s final Sunday blessing. Massive crowds gathered in St. Peters Square to listen to as he delivered his final “Angelus,” a Christian devotional prayer dedicated to the birth and death of Christ. Speaking from his apartment window above the square, Benedict thanked the crowd for their “affection” and promised them that he would be taking up a life of prayer, in order to "be able to continue serving the church." The Vatican was seething Saturday over rumors that a secret cross-dressing gay sex scandal was behind Benedict’s resignation, calling the false reports an attempt to influence the upcoming election of his successor.