Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the newly-appointed Archbishop of Milan, and Cardinal Giacomo Biffi of Bologna are both quoted at 6-1.

BBC: Betting on the next Pope

Addressing his congregation on August 15th, Dionigi Tettamanzi, the highly respected archbishop of Milan, did not refer to any specific individuals but said he regretted the way that in Italy the pursuit of individual power and wealth is so often put ahead of the common good.

ECONOMIST: A lively August for Italy??s politicians

That brings into the frame candidates who occupy what in the post-John Paul church passes for the middle ground Dionigo Tettamanzi, the archbishop of Milan, Ennio Antonelli, the archbishop of Florence, and Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Vatican department that finds and keeps in line the world's Catholic bishops.

ECONOMIST: How to find a pope for all Catholics?