Election of Pope: Predictions

The papal conclave begins voting to see who will be the next Pope.  Predicting who will be the next Pope is futile, but I'll make some predictions nonetheless.

The next Pope will be: A male
# of ballots: 6 - 7
# of days for the conclave: 3, last day will be (i.e., Pope will be elected on) Thursday

As far as the name the next Pope will choose, that's anyone's guess.  Some interesting tidbits:

Of the first 4 Gospels, only Mark and John have been taken as a Pope's name.  John being the most popular at 21 Popes.  So far no Matthew or Luke.

Of the first 12 Apostles, only Peter and John have been taken as a Pope's name.  So far no Andrew, Bartholomew/Nathaniel, James, Judas, Matthew, Philip, Simon (the Zealot), Thaddaeus, or Thomas.

Of some later Apostles named in the New Testament, only Paul has been used by some Popes.  No Andronicus, Apollos, Barnabas, Junia, Silas, or Timothy.

My Picks for New Pope

With the retirement of Pope Benedict, there is already speculation on who will replace him...no less than 14 names have surfaced.  I present my nominees for Pope, in no certain order.