Pope Francis‘ declining health has the world concerned. On February 14, the 88-year-old Pope was rushed to a hospital in Rome due to bronchitis. He was then diagnosed with pneumonia and reports of the worsening of his health surfaced in the media. After two weeks in hospital, his health has slightly improved, but he isn’t out of danger yet.
While his faithful followers are praying for his well-being, some have turned it into a game of gambling. In a shocking update, people are flocking to betting websites to place their bets on Pope Francis’ successor.
The election of a new pope is a lengthy and complex process involving hundreds of cardinals and can stretch up to several weeks. People now don’t have the patience to figure out who could be the next in line.
Gambling websites like BetUS and Polymarket are being used, where people are placing their wagers on pope’s potential successor. According to The Daily Beast, Pietro Parolin and Pierbattista Pizzaballa from Italy and Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines are leading the race.
Pietro Parolin was appointed Vatican Secretary of State by Pope Francis in 2013. The 70-year-old is known for strengthening relations between Holy See and Vietnam, and is also credited for helping reopen the dialogues between Israel and Palestine. In 2020, Pope Francis summoned Pietro and striped his office, secretariat of state, of its ability to independently manage the money.
The move came after a financial scandal. It was reported that the department’s investments in a London real estate venture were seen as “reputational risk” as per Francis. This was a huge embarrassment to Pietro and his office.
View this post on Instagram
Pierbattista Pizzaballa is 59 years old and he was appointed Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in 2020. Luis Antonio Tagle is also one of the top contenders to replace Pope Francis in situation of his demise. 67-year-old Tagle was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in 2019.
View this post on Instagram
Betting on Popes and outcomes related to papacy isn’t anything new. In fact, it has been practiced for centuries. At one point, it became so popular that Pope Gregory XIV in 1591 had to announce a ban on all bets related to the election of a new pope, creation of new cardinals, etc. However, the practice keeps finding its way into the modern world as well.
The betting websites, which are currently taking bets over Pope’s succession, received heavy backlash a few months ago. While California was burning and people were losing their homes, these websites were taking bets over it. Bets were being placed on how many acres of land would burn to ashes, as per a January 8 report by the Daily Beast.
These websites also gained huge popularity during the 2024 presidential elections when people could place their bets on Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
“They have a new thing, a new phenomenon. A gambling poll,as they call it. A poly poll, or something. I never heard of it. Polymarket. I guess we’re at 64 to 38, 36, something like that. I don’t know what the hell it means, but it means we’re doing pretty well.”
– Trump Michigan pic.twitter.com/BLwK2RNgYy
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) October 18, 2024
“They have a new thing, a new phenomenon. A gambling poll, as they call it. A poly poll, or something. I never heard of it. Polymarket. I guess we’re at 64 to 38, 36, something like that. I don’t know what the hell it means, but it means we’re doing pretty well,” Trump said while addressing a crowd.
