Anybody Bet On The New Pope Yet?

[FredPuli43]

Who do you fancy for it? Just got 7/2 for the Canadian bloke, Ouellet. My man is joint favourite with a Ghanaian, which suggests that the market thinks that the Conclave is a lot less conservative than a body largely chosen by the current Pope should be, at least first glance.

Is the Church against gambling? Presumably not, judging from the presence of priests in the ring at Galway and Cheltenham. At Galway, the local nuns turn over their garden for a funfair during Galway week too.

[FredPuli43]

Wharton, I did. It isn't. Why didn't you tell me that yourself?

[Peter Pedant]

Freddie - stop squabbling with W.

Now your candidacy....(for Pope) I think the first thing is to read the play by Baron Corvo - Hadrian VII
It is about a man like you - who gets elected Pope....

[FredPuli43]

A chain-smoking Pope? To the very life, PP, but I am not sure that the most divinely inspired Conclave, given that all humans are fallible, would be happy to choose a confirmed atheist as Pope, even though he already regards himself as infallible and thus possesses a traditional quality for the role.

[sandyRoe]

Is there a play be Brecht that deals with the theme of an ordinary man elevated to great power?

[Peter Pedant]

There is still room for you Fred

I think one of the Bishops of Durham was widely thought to be an atheist because his flock misunderstood his teachings about the Holy Resurrection - which he referred to as a 'trick with bones'.

and... Durham is not far from Rome - if you live in South America

[wolf63]

My bet for the next head of the Mafia (meant to write Roman Catholic Church) is ........


http://www.siliconrepublic.com/fs/img/Dougal.jpg

[humbersloop]

I'm holding off till "ability to tweet in latin" is shown in the essential or desireable column of the person spec

[Wharton]

If the Pope tips a horse 'ex cathedra', it'll win.