COULD THE NEXT POPE BE BLACK?
Black, pope,
Black News 
Alton Anderson reports for blacknews.uk on COULD THE NEXT POPE BE BLACK?
Black news has spoken to bookmakers,who have given us the odds of 4/1 for Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson who leads the betting market to become the first black Pope
Former favourite Luis Antonio Tagle has drifted out with odds now of 6/1
Google searches for the next Pope have risen by 214% in the last 7 days
Following Pope Francis' cancellation of his trip to Africa last month, speculation has been growing regarding the future of the 85 year-old's position as head of the Catholic Church.
Google search terms for "Next Pope" have increased by 214% in the last seven days according to the latest search volume data.
Currently, many Pope betting sites are putting Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson as lead favourite which would be significant as he could become the first ever Black pope.
Black news spoke to OLBG's Current Affairs Betting Expert Nigel Skinner, Pope Francis' future as Pope may soon be coming to an end, "Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson is now 4/1 favourite to become the Next Pope after Pope Francis, with rumours that the current Pope may resign from his post in the near future."
Who are the contenders?
Next Pope contender
Odds
Probability
Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson
4/1
20%
Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga
5/1
16.7%
Luis Antonio Tagle
6/1
14.3%
Cristoph Schonburn
15/2
11.8%
Raymond Leo Burke
15/2
11.8%
Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle has long been favourite in the betting but has drifted out to third favourite in the odds.
Betting sites now make Tagle 6/1 to take over the role giving him a 14% chance to do so.
Vatican Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, is reportedly a big favourite of Pope Francis when it comes to succession.
Bookmakers however make him 12/1 in the betting market to take over as the next Pope.
How does the Pope selection process work?
The next Pope is set to be chosen by the College of Cardinals, the most senior officials in the Church, who are usually appointed by the Pope himself.
A papal conclave is the official name of the meeting of those Cardinals with the last one taking place on the 12th March 2013 to the 13th March 2013.
The election process usually takes a few days, but in past centuries it has taken weeks and months.
