Bookmakers favor Asian or Black successor to Pope Francis

Pope Francis if he resigns, a prospect that has gained renewed speculation as the Catholic leader battles a knee ailment that has confined him to a wheelchair and forced him to cancel trips.

Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, a Filipino cardinal currently serving as the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelization of Dicastery for Evangelization, is the current betting favorite to be the next pope, coming in at 5/1 odds to fill the role, according to OLBG betting odds tracker. Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, a Ghanaian cardinal, a Ghanaian cardinal who currently serves as the chancellor of the Pontifical Academies for Sciences and for Social Sciences, comes in next at 6/1 odds to be the next pope.

While many observers of the Catholic Church believe the…