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Kevin Farrell

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For the pianist with the same name, see Kevin Farrell (pianist).

His Eminence

Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell

KGCHS
Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life
Cardinal Farrell in 2021
ChurchCatholic
Appointed15 August 2016
Other post(s)
  • Cardinal-Deacon of San Giuliano Martire (2016‍–‍present)
  • Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church (2019‍–‍present)
  • President of the Pontifical Commission for Confidential Matters (2020‍–‍present)
  • Chair of the Pontifical Committee for Investments (2022‍–‍present)
Previous post(s)
Orders
Ordination24 December 1978
by Eduardo Francisco Pironio
Consecration11 February 2002
by Theodore Edgar McCarrick
Created cardinal19 November 2016
by Pope Francis
RankCardinal-Deacon
Personal details
Born
Kevin Joseph Farrell

(1947-09-02) 2 September 1947 (age 77)
Dublin, Ireland
Motto
  • State in fide
  • Stay firm in the faith
Ordination history of
Kevin Farrell
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained byEduardo Francisco Pironio
Date24 December 1978
PlaceRome, Italy
Episcopal consecration
Principal consecratorTheodore Edgar McCarrick
Co-consecrators
Date11 February 2002
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope Francis
Date19 November 2016
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Kevin Farrell as principal consecrator
J. Douglas Deshotel27 April 2010
Mark J. Seitz27 April 2010
John Gregory Kelly11 February 2016
Styles of
Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal

Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell, KGCHS (born 2 September 1947), is an Irish-born senior-ranking prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life (since 2016), as Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church (since 2019) and as President of the Supreme Court of Vatican City (since 2024).

After his ordination in 1978, Farrell served as a chaplain and university teacher for several years in Mexico and worked in the United States from 1984 to 2016. He was an auxiliary bishop of Archdiocese of Washington in Washington D.C. from 2002 to 2007 and bishop of the Diocese of Dallas in Texas from 2007 to 2017.

Biography

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Early life and education

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Farrell was born on 2 September 1947, in Dublin, Ireland, and grew up speaking Irish.[1] He is the second of four sons. His older brother is Brian Farrell, who was appointed secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in the Roman Curia in 2002.

Farrell obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Salamanca in Spain. He then entered the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a Master of Philosophy degree and Licentiate in Theology. He also attended the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, receiving a Master of Theology degree in dogmatic theology (1976) and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in pastoral theology (1977).[2] He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.[3] Notre Dame also granted Farrell an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2017.[4]

Priesthood

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Farrell was ordained to the priesthood for the Legionaries of Christ by Cardinal Eduardo Pironio in Rome at Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica on December 24, 1978.[5] After his ordination, Farrell served as a chaplain at the University of Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, where he also conducted seminars in bioethics and social ethics.

In the early 1980s, Farrell left the Legionaries to be incardinated in the Archdiocese of Washington. In 1984, Farrell was assigned as an associate pastor at St. Peter's Parish in Olney, Maryland. He also served at St. Bartholomew Parish in Bethesda, Maryland, and at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Washington, D.C. In 1985, Farrell was appointed director of the archdiocesan Spanish Catholic Center.[6]

Farrell became acting director of Catholic Charities in the archdiocese in 1988, and served as secretary of finance from 1989 to 2001. The Vatican raised him to the rank of monsignor in 1995. In 2001, Farrell was named vicar general for the archdiocese and pastor of Annunciation Parish in Washington.[6]

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

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On 28 December 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed Farrell as an auxiliary bishop of Washington with the titular see of Rusuccuru. He was consecrated on 11 February 2002, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. His co-consecrators were Cardinal James Hickey and Bishop Leonard Olivier.[5]

Farrell served until 2007 as Washington's moderator of the curia and chief vicar general.[7]

Bishop of Dallas

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Farrell was appointed bishop of Dallas by Pope Benedict XVI on March 6, 2007, replacing Bishop Charles Grahmann. Farrell was installed on May 1, 2007.[8]

Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Farrell was a consultant to the Committee on Migration, which oversaw the Migration and Refugee Services department.[9]

Farrell was the 2009 chair of the USCCB Committee on National Collections. His brother Brian Farrell is the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Kevin Farrell commented on his brother in 2015: "I'm younger, but I became bishop first, 12 months earlier. And we still have a little sibling rivalry."[10]

Cardinal

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On 17 August 2016, Pope Francis appointed Farrell prefect of the newly established Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life in Rome.[11]

On 9 October 2016, Francis announced he would raise Farrell to the rank of cardinal in a consistory on 19 November 2016.[12] He was created a cardinal-deacon on that day and assigned to San Giuliano Martire Parish in Rome.[13] On 10 June 2017, Francis named Farrell a member of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See,[14] and on 23 December 2017, a member of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State.[15] In July 2018, the University of Dallas named an administration building after Farrell, a former chancellor.[16][17] On 14 February 2019, Francis named Farrell as camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.[18][7]

In June 2019, Farrell admitted receiving a $29,000 gift from Bishop Michael J. Bransfield to refurbish his Rome apartment. A 2018 apostolic visitation to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia revealed that he had been using diocesan funds for these gifts and his own personal spending. Farrell returned the $29,000 to the diocese; Bransfield was removed from office in July 2019.[19]

On 20 April 2020, Farrell persuaded Francis to postpone both the 2021 World Meeting of Families and 2022 World Youth Day to June 2022 and August 2023 respectively due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20][21][22]

On 29 September 2020, Francis appointed Farrell as president of the Commission for Confidential Matters, a new office in the Roman Curia.[23] According to the church's apostolic constitution, Praedicate Evangelium, the commission is responsible "1. to authorize any legal, economic or financial act that for the greater good of the Church or of persons must be kept confidential and removed from the examination and supervision of the competent entities; 2. to monitor contracts of the Holy See which by law demand confidentiality and to exercise vigilance over them."[24]

On 7 June 2022, Francis appointed Farrell as chair of the Pontifical Committee for Investments.[25] According to Praedicate Evangelium, the committee is responsible for "guaranteeing the ethical nature of the Holy See’s equity investments in accordance with the Church’s social doctrine and, at the same time, monitoring their profitability, propriety and degree of risk.[26]

On 1 January 2024, Farrell was appointed as President of the Supreme Court of Vatican City.[27]

On 20 May 2024, Pope Francis appointed Farrell as special envoy to the LIII International Eucharistic Congress, that will be held on 8-15 September in Quito, Ecuador.[28] In November, Francis appointed Farrell as sole director for the Holy See's pension fund, covering the Roman curia and the Vatican City former employees.[29]

Controversies

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Association with former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick

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Main article: Theodore McCarrick

After McCarrick was laicized in 2018 for credible allegations of sexual abuse against a minor, further reports of accusations and legal settlements emerged, dating back years. These revelations led to public questions about whether bishops and clerics closely associated with McCarrick, including Farrell, had been aware of these accusations and settlements.

  • McCarrick had asked the Vatican to appoint Farrell as auxiliary bishop in Washington. Over the next six years, Farrell served as vicar general there. During this time, he shared a four-bedroom apartment with McCarrick and two priest secretaries.[30][31][32][33]
  • Journalist Michael Winters termed McCarrick as Farrell's "mentor in the episcopacy".[34]
  • According Farrell's website when he was bishop of Dallas, the lion rampant on his coat of arms "honors" McCarrick and the yellow and red coloring at the top right of his coat of arms is also derived from that of McCarrick.[35]

World Meeting of Families 2018

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In September 2015, the Vatican announced that the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) would be held in Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland, in 2018.[36] In August 2016, Francis appointed Farrell as head of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. As a result, Farrell took charge of the 2018 WMOF. Farrell said that Francis' visit to Ireland would be "inspirational" and "counter negativity" towards the Irish church.[37] On August 18, 2018, former Irish President Mary McAleese, a critic of the WMOF, said that meeting organizers had not invited her or her family to any of the WMOF events, saying:

It's always been essentially a right wing rally... and it was designed for that purpose, to rally people to get them motivated to fight against the tide of same sex marriage, rights for gays, abortion rights, contraceptive rights."[38]

On 16 August 2018, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, scheduled to lead a "pioneering session on child safeguarding", withdrew from the WMOF.[39] On 18 August Cardinal Donald Wuerl, due to address the conference, also pulled out.[40] Although organizers claimed to have sold over 500,000 tickets to WMOF, the Office of Public Works in Ireland confirmed that the attendance was only 152,000.[41][42]

Views

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Women and LGBTQ people

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In February 2018, Farrell banned McAleese, a supporter of women's ordination and same-sex marriage, from speaking at a Vatican conference on Women in the Catholic Church.[43] McAleese sought an explanation for her exclusion from Francis through a canon law process, but received no response.[citation needed]

On 18 March 2021, Farrell defended a ban by Francis on the blessing of same-sex unions by priests. Farrell stated that a priestly blessing was a sacramental action related to marriage, which could only be between a man and a woman.[44]

Gun control

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Farrell is a supporter of gun control initiatives and opposes "deference to the gun lobby" by the United States Congress.[45]

References

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  1. ^ Hodges, Sam. "Bishop Kevin Farrell has whirlwind first year as Dallas' Catholic Diocese leader". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 29 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Bio". www.officialcatholicdirectory.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Appointed Prefect of the New Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life". Pontifical Council for the Laity. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  4. ^ Brown, Denis (30 March 2017). "Seven to receive Notre Dame honorary degrees". Notre Dame News. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell [Catholic-Hierarchy]". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. 8 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  6. ^ a b "The Short Biography of Bishop Kevin J. Farrell". Sacred Heart of Jesus Chinese Parish. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Pope Francis names Cardinal Kevin Farrell camerlengo". Catholic News Agency. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Diocese of Dallas, United States". GCatholic.org. 18 October 2008. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Committee Membership". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  10. ^ Gaetan, Victor (26 March 2015). "The Bishops Farrell: An Answer to an Irish Mother's Prayers". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Rinunce e nomine" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Annuncio di Concistoro per la creazione di nuovi Cardinali" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Titular churches and diaconates of the new cardinals" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 19 November 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Resignations and Appointments" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 10 June 2017. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Resignations and Appointments" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 23 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  16. ^ "University Names New Building Cardinal Farrell Hall". University of Dallas. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  17. ^ "University of Dallas Celebrates Completion of Cardinal Farrell Hall - Hill & Wilkinson". Hill & Wilkinson. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  18. ^ "Resignations and Appointments" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 14 February 2019. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  19. ^ "Boburg, Sean et al., "Vatican cardinal, other priests to return cash gifts from ousted West Virginia bishop Michael Bransfield", The Washington Post, June 7, 2019". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Declaration of the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni". The Vatican. 20 April 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Pope postpones two mega-events by a year because of coronavirus". Reuters. 20 April 2020. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  22. ^ "Pope postpones World Meeting of Families, World Youth Day". 20 April 2020. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Resignations and Appointments". press.vatican.va. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  24. ^ ""Praedicate Evangelium" on the Roman Curia and its service to the Church and to the World (Commission for Confidential Matters, Art. 225))". Vatican. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 07.06.2022" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  26. ^ ""Praedicate Evangelium" on the Roman Curia and its service to the Church and to the World (Committee for Investments, Art. 227)". Vatican. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  27. ^ Ed. Condon, Pope Francis stacks the Vatican 'supreme court' — but why?, The Pillar (June 5, 2023).
  28. ^ "El Papa Francisco nombra un enviado especial para el Congreso Eucarístico Internacional Quito 2024" (in Spanish). Aciprensa.com. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Francis names Cardinal Farrell as Vatican 'pension czar'". The Pillar. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  30. ^ Conconi, Chuck (October 2004). "The Man in the Red Hat". The Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  31. ^ DOUGHERTY, MICHAEL BRENDAN (26 July 2018). "Catholic Bishops Beg for a Clear Policy against Evil | National Review". National Review. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  32. ^ Dreher, Rod (23 July 2018). "What Did The Cardinals Know?". The American Conservative. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  33. ^ "McCarrick, the Bishops and Unanswered Questions". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  34. ^ Winters, Michael Sean (17 August 2016). "Bishop Farrell heads to Rome: What it means". National Catholic Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  35. ^ "About the Bishop". Bishop Kevin Farrell. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  36. ^ O'Shea, James (28 September 2015). "Pope Francis for Ireland in 2018 as Dublin hosts World Family Meeting". Irish Central. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  37. ^ "'Papal visit to Ireland will inspire us and turn around negativity towards Church'". 26 December 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  38. ^ "Mary McAleese slams World Meeting of Families as 'right wing rally' to fight against LGBT and women's rights". 18 August 2018. Archived from the original on 22 November 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  39. ^ MacDonald, Sarah (16 August 2018). "Prominent Cardinal cancels attendance at World Meeting of Families". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  40. ^ O'Callaghan, Gavin (19 August 2018). "Cardinal cancels Dublin visit days after US abuse report". Dublin Live. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  41. ^ "OPW reveals final headcount for papal Mass in Phoenix Park". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  42. ^ Walsh, Oisín (9 July 2018). "All 500,000 tickets now booked out for WMOF Papal Mass in Phoenix Park". Catholic News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  43. ^ "Vatican blocks McAleese from speaking at conference". RTÉ.ie. 2 February 2018. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  44. ^ "Vatican cardinals defend gay union blessing ban amid dissent". AP NEWS. 20 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  45. ^ "Horror in Las Vegas polarises the world of religion". The Economist. 3 October 2017. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
[edit]
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Titular Bishop of Rusuccuru
December 28, 2001 – March 6, 2007 		Succeeded by
Marek Mendyk
Preceded by Bishop of Dallas
March 6, 2007 – August 15, 2016 		Succeeded by
New title Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
August 15, 2016 – 		Incumbent
Preceded by Cardinal-Deacon of San Giuliano Martire
November 19, 2016 –
Preceded by Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
February 14, 2019 –
Preceded by President of the Court of Cassation of Vatican City
January 1, 2024 –
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