Culture

Names Bandied About for Pope's Replacement

Will the next pope be a Canadian?

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If the oddsmakers are correct, the next pope will be a Canadian.

Marc Cardinal Ouellet, the former the former archbishop of Quebec, who now heads the Congregation of Bishops, has shot to the top of oddsmakers' lists in the 24 hours since Pope Benedict XVI unexpectedly announced he will retire at the end of the month.

Paddy Power, based in Ireland, lists Ouellet at 7 to 2 odds. Ladbrokes, a London-based betting house, has the Canadian cardinal at 3 to 1 odds.

Ouellet has such "pope-ularity" that he has attracted 65 percent of all wagers at Ladbrokes, spokeswoman Jessica Bridge told ABCNews.com.