ROME
GlobalPost
Italian archbishop Angelo Scola is favourite to be the next pope ahead of Ghana’s Peter Turkson and Odilo Scherer of Brazil, bookmakers said Tuesday as cardinals prepared to choose the new pontiff.
Bookmakers were also taking bets on the official name that the successor to Benedict XVI will take, with Leo, Peter and Gregory the favourites.
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power and Britain’s William Hill said Scola’s chances had improved dramatically and both gave the Milan archbishop odds of 9/4 to be the next pope.
The likelihood of a first African pope diminished meanwhile as the once highly favoured Cardinal Turkson dropped down the betting rankings, while Cardinal Scherer leapt up the table.
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