I think it was clearly his health that caused him to retire.
If I commissioned a report, I would want to stick around to have it delivered.
The winter seems like a sensible time to retire.
What I find weird is that he is going to stay in Vatican City, virtually locked away, and never appear in public again (or some such thing). Maybe he doesn't want the stress of moving. Maybe he wants to be protected by diplomatic immunity. Maybe he thinks he'll be dead soon. I dunno. But it seems weird to me. I would think that the next pope wouldn't want the previous guy hanging around, looking over his shoulder.
The "gay cabal" thing is probably being blow out of proportion. Palace intrigue at the Vatican has been going on for many centuries now...
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.