A FORMER resident of Swan Hill has been given 46 to one odds
of becoming the next Pope.
The surprising resignation announcement from Pope
Benedict the 16th last week sparked speculation from religious commentators as
to who may be elected to the Catholic Church’s most senior position.
Cardinal George Pell, current Archbishop of Sydney, was one of the names put
forward as an outside chance to be Pope Benedict’s successor.
Such an
election would see Swan Hill have a direct connection to the Vatican, as for a
brief period during 1971 and 1972 Cardinal Pell worked as an assistant priest in
the Swan Hill parish.
As of Friday afternoon, gambling website SportsBet had
Cardinal Pell’s odds of donning the papal hat as 46 to one, with only eighteen
other candidates given higher odds.
In a statement regarding Pope Benedict’s
resignation, Cardinal Pell made no comment on his own papal aspirations.
St
Mary’s Parish priest Father Marcello Colasante described Cardinal Pell as a
“long-outsider” in the papal election, but took a chance to praise the efforts
of Pope Benedict.
“I think [in resigning] Pope Benedict has shown a lot of
courage and humility,” he said.
For more on this story, see Monday’s edition of The Guardian (18/2/13).
