You can bet on the next pope; here's who's currently favored
FILE-Pope Francis speaks with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin during his visit to Lima's Cathedral on January 21, 2018. (Photo by VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images)
A successor to Pope Francis hasn’t been announced, but it doesn’t mean you can’t place a wager on who you think will be the next pope.
Who is favored to become the next pope?
By the numbers:
Polymarket, an online prediction market, has odds for "Who will be the next Pope?" with $3 million in bets.
As of Tuesday, the favorite to be the next pope based on Polymarket’s probabilities are the following:
- Cardinal Pietro Parolin (37%)
- Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle (26%)
- Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (10%)
- Cardinal Péter Erdö (8%)
- Cardinal Peter Turkson (7%)
- Cardinal Robert Sarah (4%)
- Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (3%)
Axios reported that heading into last weekend, Polymarket had a "No new Pope in 2025" contract that was considered the most likely outcome, suggesting that Pope Francis had a 2-in-3 chance that he would live the entire year.
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How is a new pope selected?
Why you should care:
After a pope dies or resigns, the dean of the College of Cardinals organizes secret meetings where cardinals discuss the church's needs and the qualities a future pope is required to have. After the discussions, the dean organizes the conclave balloting in the Sistine Chapel.
Each cardinal puts his hand on a book of the Gospels and pledges "with the greatest fidelity" never to disclose the details of the conclave. A meditation on the qualities needed for the next pope and the challenges ahead for the church is delivered by Maltese Cardinal Prosper Grech.
The master of liturgical celebrations then cries "Extra omnes," Latin for "all out." Everyone except the cardinals leave and the voting can begin.
Voting occurs when each cardinal writes his choice on a piece of paper and drops off their twice-folded ballot in a large chalice one by one, per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website.
Cardinals must be under 80 years old to cast a vote for a new pope. Additionally, four rounds of balloting happen daily until a candidate receives two-thirds of the vote.
When is Pope Francis’ funeral?
What we know:
The cardinals set Pope Francis’ funeral for Saturday at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET) in St. Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.
Francis died of a cerebral stroke, the Vatican said. Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, the head of the Vatican’s health department, said that the stroke put him into a coma and led to irreversible heart failure.
RELATED: When is Pope Francis' funeral? Cardinals set date, along with public viewing
Dig deeper:
President Donald Trump announced he and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend Saturday’s funeral, and Argentine President Javier Milei is also expected.
The first images of Francis' body were released Tuesday, showing him in the wooden casket, in red vestments and his bishop’s miter, with the Vatican secretary of state praying over him in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived and died.
A public viewing will begin on Wednesday, according to the Vatican.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Axios, Polymarket, and previous LIVENOW from FOX reporting. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.