Will the next Pope be an African?

cardinal arinze

Paddy Power, Ireland’s leading bookmaker, says that the next pope is very likely to be African. They have come up with a list of who they believe might be the next pope. They call the list “papabile.”

Pope Benedict, who announced his resignation this week after a long period of illness, has started using a cane and is looking much more frail.

The 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 Africans in the top two spots according to the bookmaker’s odds.

In third place in the odds is Archbishop Angelo Scola of Venice at 7/1 while in fourth is Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiago of Honduras at 10/1 while Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith at 33.1 rounds out the top five.

Arinze, who was considered a papal candidate in 2005 when Benedict was elected, has his age against him now. He is almost 80 and may be considered too old.

Cardinal Turkson is only 64, born to a Methodist mother and Catholic father, and has said that “if God would wish to see a black man also as pope, thanks be to God.” The Catholic Church chronicler Rocco Palmo called Turkson the lone Scripture scholar in the Pope’s “Senate” and believes that his status as a potential “papabile” has been elevated due to his appointment as spokesman for Second Synod for Africa in 2009.

There are several papal contenders in the wings, but no obvious front-runner. Among these contenders are Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna, and Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Canadian head of the Vatican’s office for bishops.

The conclave will have to be held to elect a new pope by the end of March. The conclave, a secret meeting held in the Sistine Chapel, is where cardinals vote to elect the new Pope. All cardinals under age 80 are allowed to vote.

Three recent popes have come from the Venice archdiocese which makes Cardinal Scola an automatic favorite as the top Italian. Church experts say the best outsider is Cardinal Marc Ouellet from Canada who handled the recent Eucharistic Conference in Dublin.

AllChristianNews

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