How did Vegas know Benedict was the favored

[babylonsister]

name? I heard this last night. Velly interesting! Was there a list or somethin'?:shrug:

[ltfranklin]

1. Where do you think...

...Satan hangs out? Atlantic City? Hell has all the best bookmakers!

[MADem]

2. He was JP2's right hand man, and the easy choice

Since he is old, the odds are even if they made a mistake that he won't last forever. They figure he'll be on the payroll for a decade, max, and then they can decide what they want to do.

Of course, he could live to be a hundred, he seems pretty sharp AND spry (I noticed he had no difficulty at all genuflecting at Mass, and moved with a sure, quick step).

[babylonsister]

3. No, I meant the NAME. The bookies bet on the name.

How'd they know that?

[GiovanniC]

4. The Self-Fulfilling Malachi Prophesies, Maybe

Or anyone knowing Ratzinger's inclinations might have made the educated guess.

I'd have put my money on John Paul III myself, but that's why the extent of my betting is whether or not to put $5 on black or red at the roulette wheel (or if I'm feeling particularly feisty, even or odd).

[MADem]

5. Ah, silly me, I did not read properly, sorry!

The way that Popes have been picking the name is to go back and look at some of the old Pope names, and choose from those depending on the mark that the original guy (or guys) left on the faith. It is widely speculated that Ratzinger wants to reawaken Europe, and bring it together, much like B the Fifteenth did--he was regarded as a Wilsonian-style Pope. Peace, unity, all that stuff. Or he could be going for the Benedictine (monastic) element, which is a huge influence in his personal life.

The most popular name, I think, is John--but that is too close to JP, so that wasn't going to happen.

Also, Ratzinger used to spend a lot of time in contemplation at Monte Cassino, run by, guess who, the Benedictines, and that probably influenced the oddsmaking and betting.

[Huckebein the Raven]

6. Never bet against Vegas

:P