'#UnlikelyPopeNames': Twitter Has Fun With Pope Benedict XVI’s Resignation

With Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, the papal office has been vacated and the Vatican will soon name a successor. While the College of Cardinals have yet to meet to discuss a possible replacement, there are several possible candidates, and Twitter has had some fun discussing names that won’t be in the running with #UnlikelyPopeNames.

#UnlikelyPopeNames features plenty of funny entries, as well as some normal names. Female names are popular, because there are no female cardinals, and, therefore, it’s unlikely a female will become the next pope.

#UnlikelyPopeNames has been trending on Twitter and, in the past day, receiving hundreds of entries. Some play on the word "pope," such as “Pourii,” while others work "pope" into an older name, such as “Popeahontas.” Other names include “Pope Fabulous XVIII,” “Pope Goes The Weasel,” Pope Honourope” and “Iggy Pope.”

Other popular entries include real-life people such as Tony Blair, Jimmy Saville, Sinead O’Connor, Snooki and Metta World Peace. This Twitter hashtag trend is just the latest example of how people speculate about the new pope.

Some likely pope names include Peter, Angelo, Marc and Tarcisio. Those names belong to cardinals who many believe could be the next pope. Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana, Cardinal Angelo Scola from Italy, Cardinal Marc Oullet from Canada and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone from Italy are all candidates.

As previously reported by IBTimes, William Hill and Ladbrokes had placed odds on who will be the next pope in the wake of Pope Benedict’s resignation. Turkson is currently the favorite at William Hill, with 5/2 odds, while he is tied with Scola at Ladbrokes -- both cardinals are listed at 3/1 odds.

Whether it is placing bets on the next pope or a Twitter hashtag trend, the issue of who will head the Catholic Church has crossed over into mainstream consciousness.