MOSCOW, March 12 (RIA Novosti) – As cardinals gathered in the Vatican on Tuesday to elect a new pope, bookmakers appeared as uncertain as everyone else as to who would emerge as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion baptized Catholics.

Cardinals Angelo Scola of Italy – seeking to become the first Italian pope for 35 years – and Odilo Scherer from Brazil are the favorites with most bookmakers, with UK bookmaker William Hill offering odds of 9/4 and 4/1, respectively.

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How the Pope Gets Elected

The relatively generous odds reflect what is generally regarded as being an open field, with the Catholic Church caught unawares by the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict last month – the first unforced papal resignation for some 600 years.

The third favorite, Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, is at 9/2.

If either Scherer – a prolific Tweeter – or Turkson are elected, they would become the first ever non-European popes.

A dark horse, at 10/1, is Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Vatican's chief theological watchdog.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, at 20/1, has also been mentioned as a possible shock victor. His lack of fluency in foreign languages, a key skill for any pope, is a factor against him, however, analysts say.

The Paddy Power bookmaker is offering odds of 500/1 for rock singer Bono. The lead singer of Ireland’s U2 is not, however, a cardinal.

The 115 cardinal-electors attended a special Mass in St Peter's Basilica earlier on Tuesday. Later today they will head to the Sistine Chapel to begin their secret deliberations. They will vote four times a day until two-thirds agree on a candidate.