Papal Odds Swing into Italian's Favor: Bookie

By Stephen Rex Brown
New York Daily News
March 10, 2013

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/italian-overtakes-ghanian-odds-pope-article-1.1284705?localLinksEnabled=false

Angelo Cardinal Scola, of Italy, appears to have the best odds to succeed to Pope Benedict XVI.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan is a long shot for Pope with 20-1 odds.

Ghana's Peter Cardinal Turkson was favored to succeed Pope Benedict but has since fallen to 4-1 odds.

Italy's Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone is a top-three favorite for Pope with 5-1 odds.

Angelo Cardinal Scola, of Italy, is now the 2-1 favorite to be selected as the next Pope. Ghana's Peter Cardinal Turkson, the former favorite, has slipped to 4-1.

[PaddyPower.com]

There's a new favorite in the Popestakes: Italy’s Angelo Cardinal Scola is 2-1 to be the next pontiff, overtaking the previous front-runner, Ghana’s Peter Cardinal Turkson, who is at 4-1, according to Irish bookie Paddy Power.

Rory Scott, a spokesman for the legal bookmaker, said the lengthy deliberations among the cardinals last week worked in Scola’s favor, because the formal conclave this week is now likely to move faster.

“A quicker conclave would be more likely to produce a status quo, continuity Pope — a European, an Italian,” Scott said. “Scola would certainly provide a smooth transition from Pope Benedict XVI.”

Italy’s Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone (5-1 odds) and Brazil’s Odilo Cardinal Scherer (7-1) round out the top four.

But Scola has “all necessary qualities — (he’s) communicative, and has a pastoral background,” Scott said.

New York’s Timothy Cardinal Dolan remains a long shot at 20-1 odds.