Betting on the pope via Polymarket? A 400-year-old law threatens excommunication for that

Catholics hoping for a payday by speculating connected the destiny of the pope whitethorn look excommunication.

Or astatine least, that’s if they travel an obscure religion regularisation that dates backmost to astatine slightest the 1500s.

Wagers connected Pope Francis' aboriginal successful the Vatican person generated astir $200,000 connected Polymarket arsenic the 88-year-old’s infirmary enactment extends into a 2nd week.

The crypto betting tract offers punters the options to speculate connected “New Pope successful 2025?” — wherever 79% stake connected yes — oregon “Will Pope Francis measurement down earlier July?” — wherever 18% stake successful the affirmative.

It’s not the archetypal clip Polymarket has offered bets that are off-putting oregon successful mediocre taste. A Polymarket wager astir the Titan submersible successful 2023 drew disapproval for profiting from the fates of the doomed passengers.

Forbidden successful 1591

Gambling goes backmost thousands of years, and past Romans were nary strangers to the practice.

In the property of Christianity, betting connected the wellness of popes and the result of papal elections was truthful rampant that Pope Gregory XIV forbade it, with a punishment of excommunication, successful 1591.

According to one historian, bookies successful Rome successful 1584 took bets connected whether, and for however long, Pope Gregory XIII would sojourn his hometown of Bologna.

The pope was ill, and clergy and papal officials — adjacent Philip II of Spain — disquieted astir the interaction of his imaginable death.

Such brokers and their clients were committing sacrilege, Gregory XIV said in writings astatine the time, due to the fact that “with the spiritual and the ineffable they premix immoderate benignant of wealth and spell astir attaching to them the foulest customs of the market.”

Pope Francis

But Catholic punters who privation to play the likelihood connected the destiny of Pope Francis tin remainder easy.

Gregory XIV’s edict falls nether the aged strategy of canon law, overmuch of which was revamped to much modern versions, according to uCatholic, a website for supplication and community.

The papal gambling prohibition got nixed successful 1918.

Offences that tin effect successful excommunication contiguous see heresy, violations of the sacraments, and carnal unit against the pope.

“There is presently nary canon instrumentality connected conclave oregon cardinal wagers,” it said.

The Vatican said that Pope Francis remains successful a captious information with kidney failure.

The pope implicit the weekend, however, has asked for prayers, not wagers.

Trista Kelley is DL News’ editor-in-chief.