Posted on 02/11/2013 12:28:49 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Just hours after Pope Benedict XVI‘s surprising Feb. 28 resignation, bookmakers have already started placing odds on his successor.
Quickest off the mark was the Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, which has already gone through three favorites for the position, starting off with Nigerian Francis Arinze, before shifting to Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson and then to Canadian Marc Ouellet — who at the time of this writing is the most favored option, with odds of 11 to 4. A rival bookie, Ladbrokes, currently has Turkson as the slight favorite at 3 to 1, followed by Arinze (7 to 2) and then Ouellet (4 to 1)
The 80-year-old Arinze is an Igbo Nigerian who spent 25 years in the Vatican and was once the world’s youngest bishop. The 64-year-old Turkson was appointed by the current Pope four years ago to become president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace — although he did spark controversy last year over a YouTube clip he screened at an international meeting of bishops on the rise of Islam in Europe. Ouellet is the Vatican’s main staff director, but unless he’s a master at political dissembling, the 68-year-old doesn’t seem to be actively pursuing the job. He has been quoted as saying that being Pontiff “would be a nightmare,” and told Quebec City’s Le Soleil newspaper that a pope’s duties “are perhaps not very enviable,” with the responsibilities “crushing.”
Media Relations Manager for Paddy Power, Feilim Mac An Iomaire, told TIME that the bookmaker had been prepared for Monday’s bombshell. “We’ve actually had betting on the next Pope for eight years, since Benedict was named,” he explains. “But now, the money has been absolutely flying in. We’re comfortably into five figures and that does have a massive effect on the odds.”
(Excerpt) Read more at world.time.com ...
Shame that we cannot start a rotisserie league.
MORE BOOKMAKER TIDBITS:
Which country will the next Pope come from?
* current favorite is Italy at 6 to 4,
* any African country (2 to 1)
* anywhere in South or Central America (10 to 3).
* The United States, a long shot, comes in at 12 to 1.
* Cardinal Dolan has a 25 to 1 shot. See here:
* A market has also been opened on what name the future Pontiff will take; Peter is the 2 to 1 favorite.
FROM IRISH CENTRAL
Could Cardinal Timothy Dolan from New York be the first American pope?
EXCERPT:
Could New York Cardinal Timothy Patrick Dolan be the next pope? He is definitely a legitimate contender, the first American one ever, according to Vatican insiders.
The odds may not be great (he’s 25/1 with Paddy Power) but he is known to be deeply popular in Vatican circles and could well be a surprise choice in a conclave where there is no obvious front runner.
Dolan would be a remarkable choice. He is very popular in New York (where, like the next pope, his predecessor is still living) and he has the worldwide reach that might make him a very popular candidate.
The oddsmakers still believe that the next pope is more likely to be African according to Paddy Power, Ireland’s leading bookmaker, who has come out with a list of “papabile,” those considered papal material.
Favorite is Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, who is 15/8 (bet eight to win fifteen), while in second place is Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana at 9/4.
That’s two top Africans in the top two spots according to the bookmaker’s odds.
What are the odds on Father Flaky Fleuger? I might take some of that action just to agitate Fleuger!
Somebody tell Obama that he can’t make a recess appointment here either.
I bet Obama is tempted to appoint himself to the position by executive order.
Legend has it that Pope Peter II will be the last pope.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370508/posts?page=10#10
Guido Sarducci
George Soros knows.
“Sure, Father...that’s a fin on Arzine to win.”
Maybe it will be Cardinal Number.
That would make the “Find the Pope In the Pizza” contest interesting.
“Go in as a Pope, come out as a Cardinal.”
There is a Cardinal Bob Dolan? Who knew?
Too bad Joey Bishop’s not around, he’d qualify!
RE: Guido Sarducci
Who the heck is he? Is he even real?
Cardinal Bird?
RE: My guess (note the date of the post):
Who is that black man pictured in that post of yours?
Too bad, we just lost the greatest Cardinal of them all, Stan “the Man” Musial.
If they allowed women I’d vote for Claudia Cardinale!
This is going to be a loooong few weeks.
RE: If they allowed women I’d vote for Claudia Cardinale!
I was very tempted to post a picture, but refrained because I wanted this thread to be more respectful to Benedict.
Pope Finis I
Both Drudge and WND have articles about Cardinal Turkson being a candidate for the next pope.
It will not be Barack Obama.
As the Messiah, he will be the one the new Pope reports to.
My money is on (in this order):
Scola
Ravasi
Oullet
Chuck Norris.
Historically, all the guessers have been wrong. What is discussed in the closed meetings no one knows but one thing is for certain...no one knows.
RE: Scola
I concur with Scola. The Cardinals will follow tradition and select an Italian.
He was appointed Archbishop of Milan by Benedict on 28 June 2011.
He had previously served as Patriarch of Venice since 2002. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2003.
He has the combination of proximity to the Vatican, Pastoral experience, Theological knowledge and reasonable age ( 71 years old ).
Which candidate is a muslim convert?
“Guido Sarducci”
Don’t you justa wish!
That said, I hope the next Pontiff is a non European. The Church is most vibrant in Africa and Asia. I'd like to see one of the bright lights leading the Church in those places ascend to the Throne of Peter...but the Holy Spirit isn't looking for guidance from me either.
How about Dolan?
Too bad Cardinal Sin from the Philippines died in ‘05.
RE: Both Drudge and WND have articles about Cardinal Turkson being a candidate for the next pope.
A Ghanian Pope? Why not?
He is only 64 years old and is the current president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
The only problem with him is this — I don’t know how the other traditional cardinals will view his stance on the use of condoms.
Turkson reaffirmed the Catholic social teaching on contraception, in regard to statements made by Pope Benedict that condoms were not a solution to Africa’s AIDS crisis and were taken out of context by the media.
However, and this is where some concern might arise -— Turkson did not rule out condoms in all circumstances suggesting they could be useful in the situation of a married, faithful couple where one partner is infected; although he warns that, as the quality of condoms in Africa is poor, their use could engender false confidence.
He said abstinence, fidelity, and refraining from sex if infected were the key to fighting the epidemic. He also believes that the money being spent on condoms would be better spent providing anti-retroviral drugs to those already infected.
RE: How about Dolan?
Read Post #4 above.
That's what they kept saying when Cardinal Ratzinger was considered the "odds on favorite" -- he won't be picked because the Cardinals NEVER go with the front-runner, and there would be backlash because Ratzinger was JPII's right hand man and already doing the day-to-day duties. "He who enters the conclave as Pope, exits a Cardinal"
Oops.
A couple of names with a long papal history which haven't been used for a while are Leo and Gregory. I don't know how much popes think about the previous holders of a name before selecting it--the last pope Leo was well-regarded but not so Leo X (elected 500 years ago in 1513). Maybe it helps if one or more earlier popes with that name was canonized.
There are some names which belonged to apostles which have never been used: Andrew, James, Philip, Thomas. There was an antipope Philip but he doesn't count.
Urban might be a good name, in honor of Urban II, who started the First Crusade, as a signal to Muslims...but since the Crusaders killed a lot of Jews too that name may be problematic.
I don't think anyone will use John again soon out of respect for John XXIII. I definitely would not expect any pope to pick Peter as a name.
Thanks, But if Dolan can’t speak Italian, he’s probably a non-starter. Seems like Popes need to speak a bunch of languages.
Something about the complete lack of decorum or good taste that goes with making this list makes me happy.
So Cardinal Ouellet is a “staff director”?
Sheesh.
If there’s anything more futile and stupid than bookies handicapping conclaves, it’s the MSM’s pathetic attempts to sound informed and authoritative about anything connected to the Catholic Church.
We shall see; he does fit the description, and things do seem to be falling into place for this to occur. There are other possible candidates but I'd say he is the strongest candidate.
What's more interesting, does the mean the end of the church? There is quite a convergence of prophecy and natural events taking place of late.
OK, that’s two orders for Pope Scola.
No thanks to Ravasi. A liberal flake.
I agree completely.
This Pope will need to have broad shoulders and be able to speak the Truth with joy in times of great peril.
What about Pope Suburban? The Holy See could sell naming rights to Chevrolet.
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