When the Vatican announced on Easter Monday that Pope Francis had passed on at the age of 88, the Catholic Church entered a period known as sede vacante, which is Latin for “the seat being vacant”, the period between the death or resignation of a pope until the election of the next pontiff.
At this critical juncture, the temporary mantle of administrative leadership over the Vatican falls on the Cardinal Camerlengo, who holds the fort until the College of Cardinals elects a new pontiff in a conclave.
In 2019, Pope Francis nominated Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell as camerlengo.
The 77-year-old camerlengo serves as the interim administrator of the Vatican City State and the Holy See, managing temporal affairs to ensure continuity and order during the interregnum.
Cardinal Farrell’s duties as camerlengo include:
Certifying the pope’s death: Farrell officially confirmed Pope Francis’ death at 7:35 AM on Easter Monday, April 21, in the presence of Vatican officials, including the head of the Vatican’s health department. He oversaw the drafting of the death certificate, a formal step to initiate the sede vacante.
Sealing the papal residences: In a symbolic gesture to mark the end of Francis’ pontificate, the camerlengo presided over the sealing of the Papal Apartment in the Apostolic Palace and Francis’ residence at Casa Santa Marta, where the pontiff chose to live instead of the traditional papal quarters. This act, historically intended to prevent looting, underscores the formal closure of the pontificate.
Mourning and funeral rites: The camerlengo, alongside a team of three assisting cardinals, is responsible for coordinating the nine-day mourning period (novendiales) and the funeral, scheduled for Saturday, April 26.. The pope’s body will be placed in a single wooden coffin and moved to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing starting on Wednesday, April 23.
Preparing for the conclave: The camerlengo will oversee logistical preparations for the papal conclave, expected to begin 15 to 20 days after Pope Francis’ death, possibly May 6–11. This includes arranging accommodations for the 135 cardinal electors under 80, who will gather in the Sistine Chapel to vote.
Managing Vatican finances and administration: During the interregnum, the camerlengo administers the Vatican’s temporal affairs, ensuring financial and operational stability. He also destroys the late pope’s Fisherman’s Ring, a signet used for official documents, in the presence of the College of Cardinals, symbolising the end of Francis’ authority.
Who is Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the Vatican?
Cardinal Kevin Farrell and other Vatican officials announce the death of Pope Francis in a video statement from the Vatican on 21 April.
When the world learned of Pope Francis’ death on Monday morning, an Irish-American cardinal, little known in the wider world, was the one to break the news.
After announcing that the pope had “returned to the home of the Father”, Irish-American Cardinal Kevin Farrell took on one of his biggest roles yet: the “camerlengo”, or the person who runs the Vatican after the death or resignation of a pope.
Pope Francis nominated the cardinal for the role in 2019. The cardinal will remain in the position during the “Apostolica Sedes Vacans”, the period between the death or resignation of a pope until the election of the next pontiff.
He also will play an important role in the centuries-old ceremonies to mourn Pope Francis.
Born in 1947 in Dublin, Farrell attended the University of Salamanca in Spain and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, according to the Vatican.
He held roles in churches around the world, serving as a chaplain at the University of Monterrey in Mexico as well as at a parish in Bethesda, Maryland.
All told, the 77-year-old spent more than 30 years working for churches in the US.
Farrell was appointed Bishop of Dallas in 2007 until Pope Francis asked him in 2016 to serve as the leader of the Vatican’s new department responsible for the pastoral care of families, raising him to the rank of cardinal.
Years after naming him as camerlengo, in 2023, Francis chose Farrell as president of the Supreme Court of Vatican City State. He was also named president of the Commission for Confidential Matters.
As camerlengo, Cardinal Farrell will be tasked with making arrangements for the conclave, the process through which the next pontiff is selected.
Technically, a camerlengo can become pope, as has happened twice in history: Gioacchino Pecci (Pope Leo XIII) in 1878 and Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) in 1939.
The cardinal also will preside over the certification of Francis’s death, laying his body into the coffin. After that, the cardinal is expected to lead a procession moving the pope’s body from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta to St Peter’s Basilica.
The ceremony could take place as soon as Wednesday morning, according to the Vatican.
