VATICAN CITY - Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, who wears the humble brown robe of his Capuchin religious order, has emerged as an unlikely star amid the papal conclave in Rome.

Vatican analysts for leading Italian newspapers have listed O'Malley as one of the favorite contenders for pope. The bearded, soft-spoken cardinal has even earned a nickname: the cappuccino priest.

The 68-year-old O'Malley won praise for cleaning up dioceses shattered by child sex abuse. After he arrived in Boston in 2003, he sold the bishop's mansion to help pay settlements with victims.

O'Malley speaks eight languages, including Italian, according to his spokesman. That would be advantageous for a pope who serves as the bishop of Rome and Holy Father to all the world's Catholics.