Habemus Papam!
The college of cardinals may still be undecided, but the people have spoken.
The Bishop of the Bracket, the Victorious Vicar, the People’s Pope is …. Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Nigeria. In the final round of Sweet Sistine, Onaiyekan defeated Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada 54%-46%.
Nearly 40,000 votes were cast in our Sweet Sistine tournament, which was covered by the NBC Nightly News, NPR, USA Today and many other media outlets. We owe a big thanks as well to the many readers who voted and shared Sweet Sistine with friends.
A favorite comment came from Fark.com, which we’ll paraphrase as: “The guys from the Knights of Columbus fill out a bunch of brackets, but a nun always win the pool by making her picks according to vestment color.”
Now to the man of the hour…
Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Nigeria. Photo by michael_swan via Flickr (http://flic.kr/p/e2rh8u)
This image available for Web publication. For questions, contact Sally Morrow.
Onaiyekan isn’t even listed in Paddy Power’s pope-betting field, which means the Irish bookmakers think the Nigerian is less likely to become pontiff than his countryman Cardinal Francis Arinze (who’s not part of the conclave because he’s over 80), Bono (also not part of the conclave) and Father Dougal Maguire (not a real person).
Still, some Vaticanistas say Onaiyekan, who was made a cardinal in 2012, has an outside shot at the papacy. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI appointed him to several key Vatican roles, and Pax Christi International named the 69-year-old its Peace Laureate last year for working to relieve tensions between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria.
Reader Gerry McIntyre tells us: “A lot of us had met/knew John Onaiyekan as a young bishop in Nigeria and have followed his career. His rise in the hierarchy has not changed him significantly; he is still immensely approachable and natural and unaffected (relatively rare). And he is always pastorally motivated. He would be a vast improvement.”
We’d love to know what the rest of our readers think of Onaiyekan’s victory, so please feel free to comment below. And while you’re here, check out our other stories:
13 Comments
Jack Gordon
Marc Ouellet is not only a more probable choice, he is a better choice. He has vast experience in Quebec, the most appalling religious desert on the planet today. He has braved the unfair and at times cruel attacks of ex-Catholics (the Church’s worst enemies by far) for years. In a word, he knows the prime enemy and is familiar with his tricks. We need someone tested in battle at the helm these days, someone who understands it is not enough to be ‘nice’ any longer. (Don’t get me wrong. The cardinal is nice, but he knows where to draw the line to prevent the loss of even more souls, and that line is orthodoxy.)
Shirley Belleau
I agree totally, with Mr. Jack Gordon, that Marc Ouellet would be the best choice. A Pope from Canada could also help save even more souls all over North America.
In The News Hilarity From Mark Fiore | I Want Ice Water
[...] And The Sweet Sistine winner is …. Cardinal John Onaiyekan! [...]
Hillary Sunday Chidubem
Cardinal John Onaiyekan, if elected the Pope, let no one be surprised. Catholics beleive that Jesus cares for the Gods’ church through the Spirit! Any Pope by cardinals is Gods’ favourite, and accepted by all.
Reverence | Article VI Blog | John Schroeder
[...] I could not help but think about that when I ran across this at Religion News Service: [...]
Mark Dillon
Now that we are in the second round, has the field been narrowerd to a Final Judgment Four?
Pope Watch 2013 | Uphill
[...] market going. And most hilariously, Religion News Service was holding a tournament called “Pope Madness: Sweet Sistine” – Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Nigeria squeaked by as the winner, beating out [...]
Sweet Sistine Pope Madness | OpenArms.tv
[...] Source [...]
Victor Ogunyemi
Cardinal Onaiyekan will make a wonderful Pope!He is a bishop I know over years who is unassuming,brilliant and pastorally minded!His humility is unrivalled!This result is a big boost to his person,his Cardinalate and a recognition of his good works and contribution to the Church over the years!His name means God loves me(Olorunfemi)!
Murphy
None of them won!
ThePonch
Wow this list didn’t even include Cardinal Bergoglio. Good work Sweet Sistine!
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[...] one winner of a Papal Poll: the victor in Religion News Service’s Sweet Sistene March Madness. At least they got the right [...]
Saturday Ramblings 3.16.13 | internetmonk.com
[...] Cardinal Bergoglio truly the new head of the Catholic Church? Not according to the results of the Final Four. In a rout, the winner of the Sweet Sistine tournament was Cardinal John Onaiyekan of Nigeria. So, [...]