Vatican journalist John Thavis' book, "The Vatican Diaries," which is about to be published is predicted to get a lot of publicity with the Pope's resignation.

No sooner had Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation, a sudden interest in any and everything about the Vatican seems to have grabbed people's attention. And the publishing of Vatican journalist John Thavis' book, "The Vatican Diaries," could have come at no better time.

Thavis spoke to Reuters about Pope Benedict being his PR agent, the Pope's resignation and his book.

On Pope Benedict being his PR agent

"My friends have all emailed me telling me the pope is my best PR agent. I have to assure them that I did not arrange this. The fact my book is coming out now is perfect timing but it's definitely unplanned. I don't have the gift of prophesy. I worried what effect it might have if the pope were to resign."

On the Pope's resignation:

"I always thought he would resign. He spoke about it in a book two years ago. Then he put the trip to Cuba and Mexico on his agenda and I thought he wouldn't. But when he suddenly named six new cardinals last November, I asked people in Rome if he was thinking about resignation. They didn't seem to be too concerned. But I followed what was and what wasn't on the pope's calendar and by January I was quite concerned. I planned this trip to Rome because I thought February 22 would be a likely time. That's the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, which is the feast associated with the authority of the pope."

On what made his write his new book:

"When we were touring with John Paul II in 1988 in Swaziland, the king arrived for the papal Mass after the pope had started. He came in a convertible Cadillac with two of his four wives and the pope's sermon that day was on polygamy. I said to myself, somebody should be writing this book and maybe it should be me. There were some things I couldn't say until I sat down to write a book. There were some judgments I couldn't have expressed in news stories, and not only because I worked for a Catholic news agency. I couldn't say in my daily reporting how disgraceful I found the Legionaries of Christ's effort to spin or deflect criticism from their founder (Fr Marcial Maciel, who sexually abused boys and secretly fathered several children). I also couldn't say how ridiculous I found it that the Vatican still feels the need to edit the pope's spoken words to journalists, as if there was an official version that will supersede his actual words."