1. Kevin Joseph Farrell was born on 2 September 1947 and is an Irish-born American Catholic prelate who has served as the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life since 2016, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church since 2019, and President of the Supreme Court of Vatican City since 2024.
Kevin Farrell has served as the regent of Vatican City since the death of Pope Francis on 21 April 2025.
Kevin Farrell was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 2002 to 2007 and Bishop of Dallas from 2007 to 2017.
Kevin Farrell was born on 2 September 1947, in Dublin, Ireland.
Kevin Farrell entered the novitiate of the Legionaries of Christ in Ireland in 1966.
When Kevin Farrell was in the news after the death of Pope Francis, the Vatican perpetrated false claims that he studied at the University of Salamanca.
Kevin Farrell then studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a Master of Philosophy degree and Licentiate in Theology.
Kevin Farrell attended the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas, receiving a Master of Theology degree in dogmatic theology and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in pastoral theology.
Kevin Farrell holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Kevin 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.
In 1984, Kevin Farrell was assigned as an associate pastor at St Peter's Parish in Olney, Maryland.
Kevin Farrell served at St Bartholomew Parish in Bethesda, Maryland, and at St Thomas the Apostle Parish in Washington, DC In 1985, Farrell was appointed director of the archdiocesan Spanish Catholic Center.
Kevin Farrell became acting director of Catholic Charities in the archdiocese in 1988, and served as secretary for financial affairs from 1989 to 2001.
In 2001, Kevin Farrell was named vicar general for the archdiocese and pastor of Annunciation Parish in Washington.
Kevin Farrell was consecrated on 11 February 2002, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
Kevin Farrell's co-consecrators were Cardinal James Hickey and Bishop Leonard Olivier.
Kevin Farrell served until 2007 as Washington's moderator of the curia and chief vicar general.
Kevin Farrell was appointed bishop of Dallas by Pope Benedict XVI on 6 March 2007, replacing Bishop Charles Grahmann.
Kevin Farrell was the 2009 chair of the USCCB Committee on National Collections.
Kevin Farrell was created a cardinal-deacon on that day and assigned to San Giuliano Martire Parish in Rome.
In June 2019, Farrell admitted receiving a $29,000 gift from Bishop Michael J Bransfield to refurbish his Rome apartment.
Kevin Farrell returned the $29,000 to the diocese; Bransfield was removed from office in July 2019.
On 20 April 2020, Kevin Farrell persuaded Pope 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.
On 1 January 2024, Kevin Farrell was appointed as President of the Supreme Court of Vatican City.
On 21 April 2025, Kevin Farrell announced the death of Pope Francis in a video statement on the Vatican's TV channel.
The Vatican announced that Kevin Farrell would preside over the rite of ascertainment of death for Francis, to take place on the same evening.
Kevin Farrell said that Francis' visit to Ireland would be "inspirational" and "counter negativity" towards the Irish church.
The claim that Kevin Farrell studied at the University of Salamanca was disputed by former members of the Legionaries of Christ who were members of the congregation at the same time as Kevin Farrell.
Kevin Farrell is known to have studied humanities for two years at the now-defunct Legionaries College of Humanities in Salamanca for two years before moving to study in Rome.
In February 2018, Kevin Farrell banned former Irish president Mary McAleese, a supporter of women's ordination and same-sex marriage, from speaking at a Vatican conference on Women in the Catholic Church.
On 18 March 2021, Kevin Farrell defended a ban by Francis on the blessing of same-sex unions by priests.
Kevin Farrell stated that a priestly blessing was a sacramental action related to marriage, which could only be between a man and a woman.
Kevin Farrell is a supporter of gun control initiatives and opposes "deference to the gun lobby" by the United States Congress.