Gamblin'Media Monster

You Can Bet On Who The Next Pope Will Be Because You Can Bet On Everything

by Glenn Davis | 10:12 am, February 11th, 2013

If you haven’t seen, the big news of the morning is that Pope Benedict XVI will step down effective Feb. 28, the first Pope to cede his post in nearly 600 years.* Benedict XVI cited declining health preventing him from fulfilling his duties as the reason for stepping down – and really, considering he was elected as a 78-year-old, serving nearly eight years in a position he never wanted to begin with is pretty good.

But nevertheless, his time in the position is ending, and the Church needs itself a new leader. Who will it be? well, no one knows yet, obviously, but there are some favorites, as well as some longshots. And you know what happens where there are favorites and longshots for something…

… you can lay some str8 ca$h down on it! The above two screengrabs come via Colm Finlay, a “sports and betting manager for [an] independent bookmaker in Ireland,” and as you can see, as you go down the list, the choices get… unconventional. As enticing as the 2500/1 odds on SIlvio Berlusconi seem, I’m pretty sure that’s still just money down the drain.

And it makes me wonder: what would the odds on me be? I mean, I’m not Catholic, which probably hurts my chances a bit, but I’d be a much more youthful choice, and I’m pretty sure I have just as much of a shot as the Berlusconis and Tony Blairs of the world. And just think: the question “Is the Pope Catholic?” would finally no longer be rhetorical! Any way I can get an estimate on this, Colm? Given the rest of the odds, a solid 25000/1 or so seems reasonable.

Getty photo, by Franco Origlia

[h/t ]

*Question for those who might know more about this than I do: how does one refer to a former pope? Is he still Benedict XVI, or is he “Joseph Ratzinger, a.k.a. Pope Benedict XVI” again now that he’s not officially serving as Pope anymore? Does anyone even know, given that we haven’t had this situation arise since the invention of the printing press? The one person I’ve asked thinks it’s the former, which was my guess too, but let me know if your thinking’s different.

Filed Under:

http://www.facebook.com/KentMichaelNelson Kent Nelson

no one knows what he will be called when he steps down… the last time it happened the previous pope was imprisoned by the new pope and died shortly after…
Anonymous

Thanks for the responses on this, guys.
http://www.facebook.com/FreedomTracksRecords Richard Aberdeen

Perhaps he should just be called “Joe”, like anyone else who would have contributed more to the planet if he had dug a few ditches instead.
PETER JACKSON

CANON LAW DICTATES THAT HE SHALL BE ADDRESSES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAST TITLE HE HELD BEFORE RESIGNING. SO, HE SHALL BE REFERRED TO AS “YOUR eMMINENCE”, AND HAVE NO RIGHT TO WEAR THE ROBES OF ANYONE BUT A CARDINAL.
peter jackson

GOOD NEWS FOR ALL MODERATES – TURKSON, SCOLA AND BERTONE – MEMBERS OF THE ULTRA RIGHT WING ‘BORDER PATROL’ FOUNDED BY RATZINGER, ARE SLIDING IN THE POLLS. THE CANADIAN IS INCONSEQUENTIAL. HIS ARCHDIOCESE IS BANKRUPT, AND THERE IS A ‘FIRE SALE’ ON CHURCH PROPERTY. HIS ARCHDIOCESE WAS ALSO THE ‘HOTBED’ FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN CANADA. IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE THE GENTLE NIGERIAN – CARDINAL ARINZE – BEING THE CHOICE, UNLESS THERE IS A GENERAL VIEW AS THERE WAS IN 1958 – THAT A ‘CARETAKER’ WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE. THIS TIME, THE CHURCH DOES NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF TIME WITH A ‘CARETAKER.’ REFORM’; ‘TURN A NEW PAGE’, ‘A NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN’, ‘ENOUGH OF CORRUPTION & CHILD ABUSE – WE WANT OUR CHURCH BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ELECT SANDRI – THE ITALIAN FROM ARGENTINA, WHO SPEAKS 6 LANGUAGES FLUENTLY, AND HAS HELD 8 SENIOR PONTIFICAL, POSITIONS INCLUDING WASHINGTON, ROME AND THE MIDDLE EAST.