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| Cardinal Marc Oulette |
The surprising announcement that Pope Benedict will resign the papacy on February 24, 2013 because of failing health has brought forward a number of possible successors, including a Canadian, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the archbishop of Quebec City. He is said to have “the best odds of replacing Pope Benedict XVI according to an Irish betting site, at 11 to 4. In London, it’s said bookies are making Cardinal Oulette a 3-1 favorite for election to the papacy. No doubt such gaming references in this field will shock some at the Vatican and elsewhere. Cardinal Ouellet, 68, is the head of the Congregation for Bishops, essentially the Vatican’s top staff director. He was once quoted as saying being the pope “would be a nightmare.” He also told Quebec City’s Le Soleil newspaper that a pope’s duties “are perhaps not very enviable.” National Post
