Sede vacante. What comes next? There will be a lot of moving parts and rumors flying over the next few weeks and they won’t officially convene the Conclave for about two weeks. That leaves us plenty of time to speculate, make predictions, make some bets, odds, and look at every possible New Pope from a betting and gambling standpoint.

Next Pope Betting Odds: Predictions and Best Bets

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

All the senior leaders of the Catholic Church are making their way to Rome and are preparing for the selection process. The College of Cardinals is a group of 252 cardinals, but only 135 of them are eligible to vote on the pope. No cardinals over the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the Conclave. Once they all arive, there will be a mass that is said and the Cardinals are sealed into the Sistine Chapel and all non-Cardinals are sent out.

Then, the Cardinals remain in place and politic, talk, debate, and vote until they select a pope. The new pope is the one who receives two-thirds of the votes and the white smoke billows from the chimney, signifying that a new pope has been elected.

Enough about the intricacies, let’s break down the betting odds and make some predictions about who the New Pope will be! All lines are courtesy to our friends at MyBookie, use code SGPN to get 100% deposit match.

LUIS ANTONIO TAGLE +300

Tagle has the second-best odds, but he is my favorite and where I would lay a few units. Tagle would be the first pope elected to be born in Asia and he checks a lot of boxes. The Philippines are around 70-75% Catholic and represent about 100 million total Catholics. The Church and Cardinals are not immune to outside pressures. They know what it would mean to elect a trailblazing pope.

At 67, he is young enough to not be a health risk that could lead to instability, but is old enough to have experience. Additionally, Tagle does not have the stink of scandal that fellow front-runner Pietro Parolin has. Tagle feels like a best bet to be the New Pope leaving the Conclave.

MATTEO ZUPPI +600

If you are looking to make sure you have an Italian candidate on your papal betting card, Zuppi is your guy. Sure, you could go with Parolin. However, and we won’t get into the politics, you can read more here, my Catholic analyst says that this scandal will drag him down.

In talking at length with those in the know, these Cardinals coming together to vote do not know each other. They have all come together only once. Given that lack of familiarity, they may not have an idea of how this is supposed to run. The Italian Cardinals are in close proximity to each other and will always want to elect an Italian pope. With Parolin off the table, the incredibly likable Zuppi becomes the guy to bet on.

PIERBATTISTA PIZZABALLA +1200

Now entering the ring as a First Team all-name Papal candidate is Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Over on MyBookie, Pizzaballa is a mid-tier candidate due to his age. He is by far the youngest candidate on this list at 60 years old. However, he has some of the best press out of all of the candidates. Earlier this year, the Bishop of Jerusalem offered to trade himself for all the hostages in Gaza.

With press and goodwill like that, he could be just what the Catholic Church ordered. As we mentioned earlier, the Church is not immune to politics of the outside world and a leader of action could be attractive to the Conclave. Pizzaballa is worth a sprinkle as you build your betting card and predictions for the new pope.

ROBERT SARAH +1600

If we operate on the assumption that the Cardinals would prefer to see someone more conservative after the liberal Francis, then Robert Sarah is the leading candidate. According to those who know, Francis wasn’t the most popular in Church circles. This could leave many Cardinals looking for a return to normalcy and that could mean someone more like Pope Benedict.

Sarah has more than just Benedict credentials, he would also be the first Pope in modern times from Africa. Sarah was born in French Guinea and has held several leadership roles within the Catholic church. Many have named him as one of the papabile, or those who are possible candidates to be Pope. Sarah could capitalize on Cardinals looking for a return to the Benedict days and also provide a new look for the Catholic Church.

WIM EIJK +2500

We have another first-team all-name papal candidate. Wim Eijk may not be a household name, but that is a plus for him! In a world of egos and guys who are used to being literally holy, a guy who may not be as widely known and has no major objectionable quality is a plus. With this wide range of ideals and beliefs coming together for the first time, they may just go with the least objectionable candidate. Eijk may not move the needle for many, but hey, we kinda like the guy.

OFF BOOK

If we really go off-book, my Catholic insiders tell me you want to look at two guys. First up, is the Bishop of Quebec Gerald Lacroix. Lacroix isn’t too old and provides enough American flavor while still being European-esque. Similar to earlier candidates, the most return to normalcy could be Gerhard Ludwig Muller. Muller is a German Cardinal who would provide the return to normal that many may be seeking.