Cardinal Kevin Farrell became the acting head of the Vatican after Pope Francis’s death on Monday.
Farrell is the camerlengo of the Catholic Church, acting as a personal appointee of the pope and carrying out “a specific series of functions in the crucial time of transition from one pope to his successor.”
Farrell’s job is critical in the aftermath of the pope’s death. On Monday evening, Farrell will preside over the ritual of certification of Francis’s death, including the laying of his body in a coffin in the chapel of the Vatican guesthouse where Francis lived. Later, Farrell will lock and seal the pope’s residence.
The pope’s death was announced by Farrell on Monday morning.
“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church,” Farrell said. “He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. 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.”
At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words:
“Dearest brothers and sisters, with deep sorrow I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 this morning,… pic.twitter.com/De4pEZkvs9
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 21, 2025
Farrell is the first American camerlengo and likely the first American head of state for the Vatican. He was born in 1947 in Dublin, Ireland, and attended the University of Salamanca in Spain and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He began studying for his priesthood in 1966 and was ordained in 1978.
He is a naturalized American citizen and has worked in the United States for over 30 years. He had posts as the auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C., between 2002 and 2007, and was the bishop of Dallas from 2007 to 2017.
In 2016, Farrell left the U.S. to become a prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life.
“My assistant, administrative assistant, came in and said, ‘The Pope’s on the telephone,’ and I felt like saying, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ Eventually, she did put on the Pope, and he told me that he would like me to go to Rome because Dallas needed a much better bishop than I am,” Farrell said.
He became camerlengo in 2019, and Francis named him president of the Supreme Court of Vatican City State in 2023.
WATCHING AN AILING PONTIFF: WHAT COULD COME NEXT FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
While Farrell is the acting head of Vatican City, he does not have control over the government. That power is held by the College of Cardinals, which will elect a new pope in the coming days.
The first votes for electing a new pope will take place after the cardinals come together for the conclave.