By Michael Gryboski, Editor Tuesday, April 22, 2025

The Vatican announced on Monday that Pope Francis, the first Latin American head of the Roman Catholic Church, had died that morning at the age of 88.

The man who gave the announcement was Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who served camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber.

“[Pope Francis] taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized," Farrell said on Monday.

"With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."

As camerlengo, Farrell will oversee running the Vatican and organizing a conclave to determine the next pope. Theoretically, Farrell himself could be elected the next pontiff.

Here are five interesting facts about Cardinal Kevin Farrell.

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By Michael Gryboski, Editor Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Background

According to his official Vatican biography, Farrell was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1947, attending the University of Salamanca in Spain, the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and the University of St. Thomas in Rome.

Farrell was ordained a priest in 1978, serving as chaplain of the Regnun Christi Movement at the University of Monterrey in Mexico and becoming a parish priest in the Washington D.C. area in 1983.

He held various leadership positions in the Archdiocese of Washington, eventually being appointed the titular bishop of Rusuccuru and auxiliary bishop of Washington in 2001.

In 2007, Farrell was appointed as bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, and in 2016, he was called by Pope Francis to serve in the Roman Curia as prefect of the new Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life.

Francis later appointed him the position of camerlengo in 2019, as well as president of the Commission for Confidential Matters and president of the Vatican City State Supreme Court.