As Pope Benedict XVI steps down from his public role in the Vatican, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan has spoken about how hard it will be to replace the retiring head of the Catholic Church. The Irish American Cardinal made it clear that he did not believe he was the man for the job saying he it would be more likely for him to replace third baseman for the New York Yankees, Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez, than be voted in as Pope.

Dolan was speaking to the press as he prepared to travel to Rome to take part in the conclave to elect a new Pope.

Dolan told NY1, “I'm eager to say goodbye and give my love and gratitude and prayers to the Holy Father on behalf of myself and of the Archdiocese of New York and then get to the work of the conclave then get back home.

"Listen, I think I got a better chance of taking A-Rod's place than I do of Benedict XVI."

Currently Dolan is a long shot for the position according to bookies. Irish bookies Paddy Power are giving the Ghana Cardinal Peter Turkson the best odds for the job.

Speaking to CNN, Dolan described the various aspects that the Cardinals at the conclave would be looking for in the next leader of the Catholic Church.

Dolan described himself as a “rookie” when it comes to the process of the conclave but he said they would be looking for someone who reminded them of Christ on earth.

He said, “In a particularly radiant and personal way, the pope is supposed to remind us of Jesus.”

The Cardinal continued, “We call him the vicar of Christ. So when we see him, we’re immediately elevated to the things beyond, the eternal truth and to the man who described himself as the truth – Jesus Christ…That’s sort of the what you might call the supernatural characteristics that you look for.

“St. Thomas says grace builds on nature. What are the natural characteristics that we’re looking for? Well, you need a good pastor, somebody’s who’s good with people like Jesus was. You need somebody who is thoroughly versed in the tradition and the profound theology of our Catholic wisdom.

“Number three, you need somebody savvy about the church universal, who kind of is aware and conscious of the diverse needs of the Catholic family. Number four you need somebody who can get by in at least English and Italian and preferably some other languages, too.”

Here’s New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s interview with CNN on who should be the next head of the Catholic Church in the Vatican