We\u2019ve seen 266 Popes to head the Catholic Church, Pope Francis being the lastest. But with<\/p>\n\n\n\n
rumors of his health declining, we could see a new pope sooner rather than later. Recently, the<\/p>\n\n\n\n
85-year-old wasn\u2019t able to fulfill his duties during a trip to Canada and has been dealing with<\/p>\n\n\n\n
mobility issues forcing him to use a wheelchair. While Pope Francis has rejected retirement<\/p>\n\n\n\n
rumors, speculation and betting odds are running wild to see who could be named the next<\/p>\n\n\n\n
pope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Contenders<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark Ouellet (+500)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark Ouellet could make history as the first Canadian Pope. He\u2019s considered as one of the<\/p>\n\n\n\n favorites for the papacy because of his experience and credentials in the Catholic Church. The<\/p>\n\n\n\n 79-year-old was appointed by Pope Benedict as head of the Congregation of Bishops at the<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vatican in 2010. Ouellet was also a candidate for the last two Pope elections in 2005 and 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Ouellet is part of a long list of Canadian priests involved in a sexual assault investigation<\/p>\n\n\n\n and the Vatican can\u2019t elect someone under investigation or accused of a crime<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pietro Parolin (+500)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pietro Parolin is already the Vatican\u2019s number two, the Secretary of State, making him the<\/p>\n\n\n\n highest-ranking official next to the Pope. He spent almost a decade in the role and also spent<\/p>\n\n\n\n 30 years in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. Parolin is Italian and was appointed as<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cardinal by Pope Francis in 2014. He\u2019s also considered to be the Vatican\u2019s de facto deputy<\/p>\n\n\n\n foreign minister which will help his cause of the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luis Antonio Tagle (+600)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cardinal Luis Tagle has been gaining some ground in the betting odds over the last few months<\/p>\n\n\n\n and could be the favorite in the coming months. Tagle is very popular with the public and well<\/p>\n\n\n\n known for his progressive views especially around LGBTQ laws which appeals to a younger<\/p>\n\n\n\n demographic. While he is popular, Tagle\u2019s age and inexperience in Vatican laws could work<\/p>\n\n\n\n against him. The 66-year-old would become the first Asian Pope if he took over the papacy<\/p>\n\n\n\n from Pope Francis<\/p>\n\n\n\n Betonline Has Europe as Favorite For Where Next Pope Comes From<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re not certain on a potential name for the next Pope you can wager on which continent the<\/p>\n\n\n\n successor for Pope Francis will come from. With four of the top six hailing from Europe, it’s no<\/p>\n\n\n\n surprise to see Europe at 5\/6 odds that the next Pope will be European.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n -120<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n North America<\/p>\n\n\n\n +450<\/p>\n\n\n\n Africa<\/p>\n\n\n\n +450<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asia<\/p>\n\n\n\n +450<\/p>\n\n\n\n South America<\/p>\n\n\n\n +650<\/p>\n\n\n\n History of Pope Nationality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 217 \u2013 Italy<\/p>\n\n\n\n 16 – France<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6 – Germany<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5 – Byzantine Empire<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4 – Greece<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3 – Africa Proconsularis<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3 – Holy Land (Israel)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2- Dalmatia (Croatia)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2- Valencia (Spain)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 – Portugal<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 – Anatolia (Turkey)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 – England<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1- Netherlands<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1- Poland<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1- Argentina<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve seen 266 Popes to head the Catholic Church, Pope Francis being the lastest. But with rumors of his health…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":24753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[178,66],"class_list":["post-24752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-next-pope","tag-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t