Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson is currently the Irish favorite to come in and replace Pope Benedict XVI’s vacant seat in the Vatican following his surprise resignation.
Reuters reports that Irish bookmaker Paddy Power offered odds of 11/4 against for Turkson, meaning successful punters would win 11 pounds for every four staked, while Britain’s second largest bookmaker Ladbrokes offered odds of 5/2 against.
Should Cardinal Turkson actually be named Pope, it would be the first time in nearly a millenium that a non-European person held the role. Paddy Power has Italian Angelo Scola as the second favorite at 3/1 against.
Earlier in February, Cardinal Turkson rounded a different top three in the betting at Paddy Power - Nigeria’s Cardinal Francis Arinze and Canadian Marc Ouellet were alongside Turkson initially in the top three but have since fallen to the wayside.
“Pope Benedict quitting leaves a tall hat to fill – let’s just hope God gives him a good reference for his next job,” a Paddy Power spokesperson said in a statement. “As for the betting, the real action kicks off now.”
“While Turkson and Scola are currently out in front, let us not forget those fabled words ‘he who enters the conclave as Pope, leaves it as a Cardinal’,” the Paddy Power spokesman said.
Paddy Power said Turkson has attracted the highest number of bets, accounting for 15 percent of the market and is shouldering the biggest single bet of 5,000 pounds ($7,600).
Cardinal Turkson currently serves as the head of the Vatican’s justice and peace department, and has been tipped as Africa’s frontrunner in a contest heavy with speculation that a Latin American or African could be elected as chief of the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic population.
Paddy Power said that betting on who will be elected as the new pope is set to become the largest non-sporting market in its history. It said it had taken 300,000 pounds on “pope betting”.
Others who have their name in the betting pool? Well, none other than Father Dougal McGuire, the fictional and simple-minded priest from the beloved sitcom ‘Father Ted,’ who has already attracted more bets than real-life Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Will Hamilton | Mar 13, 2013, 06:25 AM EDT
If there has to be such an aberration as a pope loose in the world better if it's a black African. That will help hasten the decline of the church in white dominated countries since catholicism is inherently a racist white Roman product. In Ireland churchs that have had to install recruits from africa have lost locals quicker than anywhere.
patrickm21532 | Mar 02, 2013, 11:17 PM EST
how do I make Irish Central my home page?
aloistmartin | Mar 01, 2013, 08:26 PM EST
What could please the Ireland`s EU placator Unionist Bourgeoisie more, than a Black Pope !
thetint | Mar 01, 2013, 02:52 AM EST
It’ll be an Italian. The biggest growth area for Catholicism is Latin America; the richest church is North America; the biggest potential is Africa and Asia. The only area declining is Europe. Therefore it makes sense to go for one of these growth areas. But they won’t. Half the cardinals are from Europe and will look after themselves.
thetint | Feb 28, 2013, 10:21 PM EST
The last Pope? I doubt it. But the last one that holds such office that allows children to be molested, priests to not marry, women to not hold office within the church - probably, yes. The church will change with the people, the old ones will die out and their bigotry with them.
antoman | Feb 28, 2013, 05:24 PM EST
St.Malachy predicted all the Popes. The one to be elected will be black and the final Pope. And we all die roaring in our beds.
STEVENSTAR | Feb 28, 2013, 04:55 PM EST
HAHA .THIS NEWSPAPER GETS BETTER BY THE DAY... THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING ABOUT THIS OVER HERE IN MEDIA ACTUALLY WE WOULD MUCH PREFER TO SEE THE CANADIAN GUY GET TO BE THE POPE... I CERTAINLY DONT WANT TO SEE A BLACK POPE... ANYWAYS NOSTRAMUS PREDICTED EVERY POPE SO FAR AND HE PREDICTED THIS BLACK POPE ALSO WOULD BE THE END OF THE WORLD..............:( .... SO I HOPE WE DONT GET A BLACK POPE !!!
Smyrnian | Feb 28, 2013, 04:51 PM EST
Olovely - See, I told you there would be another article along for you shortly and here it is. Didn't take you long to jump on it with your anti-catholic venom did it? You still sound very shrill and absolutely breathless with anticipation. You must be so excited!
handsome68 | Feb 28, 2013, 04:44 PM EST
I suggest an alien pope. Alpha Centuri is the nearest planet. Have they been consulted?
olovely | Feb 28, 2013, 02:32 PM EST
Cardinal Peter Turkson is not the brightest bagel in the box, it must be said. He's what they call incurious. Besides I can't see the so-called the (ex-Pope, pope in exile, pope Mother?)gay Vatican mafia allowing it.
mowalsh | Feb 28, 2013, 01:53 PM EST
Sure, an Irish pope would be nice. Unforunately the only decent candidate isn't a Cardinal; he's archbishop of Dublin, and the conservative vatican groupies want no part of a Christ-like fellow like him. As for the rest of the Irish or Irish-American crowd , too many were mixed up in sexual and human rights abuses and the enabling of pedophile predators and/or are shameless toadies like NYC's Dolan.
Paul Hogan | Feb 28, 2013, 01:10 PM EST
Butch 1 is right about one thing: the African cardinals are very conservative. I spent a couple of years in Africa. It's a choice: either you are in favor of the 7th Commandment, though shall not commit adultery or in favor of pro-choice, that shall commit buggery. The 7th Commandment leads to heaven. The free choice buggery Commandment probably leads to hell. That is your choice. I am 100% in favor of an African cardinal becoming Pope. I would take the 7th Commandment choice.
joan1954 | Feb 28, 2013, 12:07 PM EST
The College of Cardinals will never choose an American or anyone from the so-called superpower countries. Actually the consistory would do well to choose a Pope from where the church is growing and not dying as in Europe and America so that means either Latin America or Africa. That being said Marc Ouilett of Canada and Christoph Shonbron of Austria might be candidates as well. My money would be on Peter Turkson.
pat1505 | Feb 28, 2013, 11:53 AM EST
I thought that this was an interesting development considering the story that ran on Irish Central about St. Malachy predicting all the Popes and that the lasts one's name would be Peter. http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/St-Malachy-predicted-Pope-Benedicts-successor-will-be-last-pope-190715001.html?fb_action_ids=4790805922183&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366
IrishJets47 | Feb 28, 2013, 11:30 AM EST
What happened to Boston Cardinal Sean P, O'Malley he was a top favorite to be elected to be the next Pope.
IrishJets47 | Feb 28, 2013, 11:23 AM EST
What happened to Boston Cardinal Sean P, O'Malley he was a possible a favorite replacement to be elected to the next pope? Oh god please we did not need a black pope just not yet.
Butch1 | Feb 28, 2013, 10:36 AM EST
Sorry, The African Cardinals are much too conservative and anti-homophobic and would set the church backward instead of trying to join this century. That continent and some of its countries are in the process of making homosexuality a capital murder crime. If the catholic church is going to survive it doesn't need a Pope that has these same feelings in my opinion. Jesus would never react like that and this person is supposed to represent Jesus on earth.
McNamara31 | Feb 28, 2013, 09:54 AM EST
Rather than "corporate style choice" or decision, the choice of Pope should be a spiritual one. I know this is probably naive since half the cardinals voting were "made" by Pope Benedict; however it was those corporate style choices that put the Catholic Church in the position its in today. This is a very rare situation, were you will have a retired Pope (who handled every abuse case during his tenure as head of the Doctrine of the Faith) supposedly having no impact in the dealings of future areas of the new Pope. I believe many of the cardinals will be intimidated by the "background" Benedict has on all of their diocesans and will feel pressure to vote for "his" choice. It may have been this same "background" that got him elected the first time.
Frosty38 | Feb 28, 2013, 09:11 AM EST
I would like to see an Irish one