Vatican Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin is still the favourite for British bookies to succeed
the late Pope Francis as the leader of the world's 1.4 billion
Catholics while Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) chief Matteo
Zuppi of Bologna, the Ukraine envoy, and Ghanaian Peter Turkson,
have seen their odds narrowing, Agipronews said Friday.
Turkson, potentially the first black Pope in history, has
dropped from 7 to 5 at William Hill, followed by Zuppi, who has
gone from 9 to 6.50, and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, now set at 7.50 compared to 11 at the
start of this week.
In the last few hours, however, the name of Jean-Marc Aveline,
Francis's "protégé" and like him an outsider, is gaining more
traction: the French candidate for new Pontiff is at 33.
But the clear favourite for British betting analysts is still
Parolin, with the Secretary of State still in pole position at
3.50 times the stake.
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