On the mend from another illness, the Pope gave a brief blessing from the window of his 10th floor hospital room. In his weakened state, the Pope’s words were difficult to understand, leading to allegations that the message was pre-recorded. Vatican spokespeople were adamant that the Pope hadn’t used a backing track.
In the evening, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls denied in a statement Italian media speculation that the pope’s words were taped – not live.
“Naturally, the words of the Holy Father in the blessing this morning were pronounced at the very moment in which we heard them,” he said.
What’s next for the pontiff? Rumor has it that preacher-turned-music impressario Joe Simpson has his sights on a six album megadeal and reality show on MTV.