Who Is Cardinal Kevin Farrell? New Church Leader After Pope Francis Death

Cardinal Kevin Farrell is now in charge of the Catholic Church following Pope Francis’ death this week.

The Context

Pope Francis, the first pope from the Americas, has died at the age of 88 on Monday. He became leader of the Catholic Church in 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI resigned. As the camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Farrell will effectively serve as interim pope until a new pope is picked.

What to Know

Farrell was appointed as a cardinal in 2016. Three years later, Francis named him camerlengo. In this role, Farrell is to manage the daily affairs of the Holy See.

Farrell, 77, served as bishop of the Dallas Catholic Diocese from 2007 to 2016. He has been an ordained priest since 1978. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and has spent time in Mexico, Rome and the U.S.

Farrell was appointed to serve as president of the Commission for Confidential Matters in 2020. Three years later, he also was named president of the Vatican City State Supreme Court.

During his time as pontiff, Pope Francis caused disruption within the Catholic Church, including when he allowed for priests to bless same-sex couples so long as they didn’t endorse a same-sex marriage. Francis was viewed as a progressive leader in the Catholic Church, and during his tenure, he suggested that even atheists could go to heaven.

What People Are Saying

Farrell said in a press conference in 2021 after the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) ruled that the church doesn’t have the power to bless same-sex unions: “It is essential and very important that we always open our arms to receive and to accompany all people in their different stages of life and in their different life situations.”

Farrell added: “When the Church speaks about marriage, it speaks about sacramental marriage. It doesn’t speak about civil unions. Blessing is something that is a sacramental, that is related to the sacrament of marriage. That does not mean that those who are only married in the Church receive the benefits of the pastoral care of the Church.”

Farrell spoke of Pope Francis in a 2023 Vatican News interview: “Pope Francis always speaks about Jesus Christ. To me, the uniqueness of Pope Francis is he’s in touch with the people and, when Pope Francis, he wants to teach us what how to put into practice what we learn from the doctrine of John Paul II and from Benedict’s emphasis on the theology of encounter with Jesus Christ.”

He added: “What Pope Francis is doing is showing us how to put that into practice each and every day…In fact, I can tell you from personal experience, nothing brings more happiness and joy to Pope Francis than being down in that square and meeting people or gathering with people. He’s teaching us how to live. He’s teaching the Church in a special way to engage the laity and to engage with the world today. We can’t live separate from the world.”

What Happens Next

Cardinals will meet in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City to hold a conclave, the election process through which a new pope is chosen.

Around 120 cardinals will vote in secret for their candidate. The process is historically highly secretive, and candidates do not publicly campaign for the position. Voting continues until a candidate receives a two-thirds majority. If the two-thirds majority is not received, another round of voting is held. There can be up to four rounds each day.