Bookmakers Say It’s Italy vs. Africa for Next Pope!In the grand scheme of things it’s anybody’s guess, but a leading oddsmaker says three top Catholic leaders — one from Africa and two from Italy — have the best chances of becoming the next Pope.
As of Friday, Ireland’s Paddy Power has Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson the favorite to succeed Pope Benedict with odds of 5-2 — put $2 on and win $5 if he is elected.
Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola, is second favorite at 11-4, followed by another Italian Cardinal, Tarcisio Bertone.
Paddy Power’s leading contenders for the papacy are:
5-2 Cardinal Peter Turkson, 64, (Ghana) President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
11-4 Cardinal Angelo Scola, 71, (Italy) Archbishop of Milan.
4-1 Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, 78, (Italy) Vatican Secretary of State.
8-1 Cardinal Marc Ouellet, 68, (Canada) Prefect for the Congregation for Bishops.
10-1 Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, 70, (Italy) Archbishop of Genoa.
10-1 Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, 70, (Italy) President, Pontifical Council for Culture.
14-1 Cardinal Peter Erdo, 60, (Hungary) Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest.
16-1 Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, 68, (Austria) Archbishop of Vienna.
16-1 Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 69, (Argentina) Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.
16-1 Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 55, (Philippines) Archbishop of Manila.
25-1 Cardinal Odilo Scherer, 63, (Brazil) Archbishop of São Paulo.
25-1 Cardinal Francis Arinze, 80, (Nigeria) Cardinal-Bishop of Velletri-Segni.
25-1 Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, 70, (Honduras) Archbishop of Tegucigalpa.
25-1 Cardinal Sean O’Malley, 68, (United States) Archbishop of Boston.
33-1 Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 63, (United States) Archbishop of New York.
40-1 Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, 68, (Italy) Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.
40-1 Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, (Argentina) Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
40-1 Cardinal Reinhard Marx, 59, (Germany) Archbishop of Munich and Freising.
Paddy Power spokesman Rory Scott told USA Today, “We are expecting this Pope-betting to be the biggest round of nonsporting betting in Paddy Power history — it’s a big market.
“It’s going to pick up as we head into conclave and we think it will reach about $7 million (U.S. dollars).”
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