By Josh Powell | Pope betting
Pope Benedict XVI took the decision on Monday that he was too old for the biggest gig in Catholicism and will step down on February 28th. Since then the betting on who will be elected in his place has been ferocious and Paddy Power has thrown an extra bit of spice into the mix.
If the cardinals elect the first black Pope to replace Benedict XVI, Paddy Power will refund losing single bets.
The election of the first ever black Pope could reflect the growing strength of the Catholic church in Africa and Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana and Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria are near the top of the betting.
Cardinal Turkson is President of the Vatican’s council for justice and peace. After the economic crisis he proposed creating a world bank and he is regarded as a great communicator. The 64-year-old is 9/2 in the betting to be elected.
The form of Cardinal Francis Arinze isn’t bad either. He is the current Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni. This is the position Pope Benedict held before he was elected so it wouldn’t be the first time Cardinal Arinze has followed in his footsteps. At 80-years-old he could be a touch over the hill and is available at 10/1.
The current market leader is Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet at 7/2. According to our sources he is outgoing charismatic and good pals with Pope Benedict which rightly means he is heading the betting. The 64-year-old holds a powerful position in the Vatican as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops which is useful when trying to get votes. It is basically the equivalent of having a really good sob story on the X Factor.
In a strange election ploy Cardinal Ouellet described being pope in very unflattering terms. He called it ‘not very enviable’ and said it ‘would be a living nightmare.’
The strong Italian vote looks to be getting split between Archbishop Angelo Scola and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. After a Pole and a German the Italians will be keen to have an Italian Pope back in the hotseat and both men are getting well-supported.
Betting: Who will be the next Pope?
7/2 Cardinal Marc Ouellet
4/1 Archbishop Angelo Scola
6/1 9/2 Cardinal Peter Turkson
5/1 Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone
10/1 Cardinal Francis Arinze
10/1 Cardinal Leonardo Sandri
12/1 Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga
12/1 Cardinal Odilo Scherer
14/1 Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco
14/1 Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi
20/1 Cardinal Christoph Schonborn
Terms and conditions
Applies to single outright bets placed before 12.00pm Monday 18th Feb.
Max Refund €/£25 per customer/bet.
Applies to the next permanently appointed Pope after Benedict XVI
Refund only applies in the case of Peter Turkson, Francis Arinze and Wilfred Napier.
Refund applies to the Next Pope Outright market only, does not apply to any other related markets.
Paddy Power betting rules apply and Paddy Power’s decision is final.
What odds are you giving on Cardinal Sean Brady being elected Pope? You don’t seem to have him listed, but he is a cardinal elector and will be at the conclave