Top news: Bidding farewell in his last public address as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI conceded that his term had at times been marked by "choppy waters," the most direct reference offered by the pope in reference to the sex scandals that blossomed under his watch.
Addressing a packed crowd of more than 100,000 in St. Peter's Square, the scene in the Vatican was emotional. Several cardinals, in town ahead of the papal conclave and seated to the pope's right, could be seen dabbing at tears. In his address, Benedict compared his time in office to the voyage of St. Peter and the apostles across the Sea of Galilee, saying God had given him "many days of sun and light breezes." "But there were times when the waters were choppy and, as throughout the history of the church, it looked as if the Lord was sleeping," Benedict said. "But I have always known that the Lord was in that boat, that the boat was not mine or ours, but was his and he will not let it founder."
Benedict officially steps down Thursday and will retire to Castel Gandolfo, the traditional summer residency of the papacy, where he will retain the title "his holiness" but will renounce some of the papal garb, dressing a white cassock and giving up the red shoes of the papacy -- a symbol of the blood of the martyrs -- for brown ones. According to statements by Vatican officials, it is expected he will live a largely secluded life in prayer.
U.S. politics: The U.S. Senate voted to confirm former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as the next secretary of defense in a 58-41 vote, concluding a brutal confirmation process that has raised fears Hagel will arrive at the Pentagon lacking the political capital necessary to confront looming budget cuts.
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