Acting Head of Vatican & Conclave
Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Camerlengo of the Roman Church is the one who broke the news of Pope Francis’ passing on Monday to the world. Cardinal Kevin Farrell reported the pope “returned to the home of the Father” while also taking on the role of ‘Camerlengo’ who is incharge of the official arrangements in the Vatican as to prepare the funeral to make arrangements for the Conclave.
Who is Cardinal Kevin Farrell?
Kevin Farrell was born in 1947 in Dublin, he attended the University of Salamanca, Spain and then attended the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, as per the reports from the Vatican. After serving multiple years as a Chaplain, Parish, Bishop across America, Ferrell was called by the Pope at the age of 77 to head the Vatican’s new department responsible for the pastoral care of families, raising him to the rank of cardinal.
Cardinal Kevin Ferrell then was assigned multiple duties including taking the Pope’s proposal of becoming the Vatican’s ‘Camerlengo’ in 2019. Now with the death of Pope Francis, it is the duty of Cardinal Kevin Ferrell to serve as Camerlengo.
What is the role of Camerlengo?
The role of a Camerlengo is to take over the responsibilities interim the crucial period marking from the death of the Pope and the selection of the next pope. A Camerlengo, historically, should certify the death of the Pope, seal the Pope’s Bed Chamber, Study and break the fisherman’s ring, to signify the end of the pope’s papacy.
Irish-born Cardinal and Camerlengo Kevin Farrell overseeing the sealing of the papal apartments following Pope Francis’s death pic.twitter.com/I1YBvM31t8
— Diarmuid Pepper (@Diarmuid_9) April 21, 2025
Camerlengo also leads the funeral procession along with the coffin into the St. Peter’s Basilica and look over the burial. He will also naturally be incharge of being reported on the Vatican records, assets and overseeing the budget for the Holy See. Cardinal Kevin Farrell heads some of the top Vatican committees on finances, investments and confidential matters, as well as its supreme court, making him well-suited to deliver any financial prospectus to the new pope.
The Conclave Proceedings:
Once the funeral and burial procedures are completed, the next focus in Rome is the Papal Conclave – The election of the next Pope. The Conclave typically takes 15 to 20 days after the death of the Pope with the College of Cardinals overlooking the preparations of the election. This time, the conclave is expected to be headed by Cardinal Giovanni Battista, the current head of the College of Cardinals.
From 1878, the Conclave was held at the Sistine Chapel where only cardinals under the age of 80 with a total members not over 120 would vote for their New Pope. WIth multiple rounds of voting, a candidate is expected to get two- thirds of the vote to proceed to the next round. The results are notified by smoke – black smoke meaning no decision made while white smoke signifying the election of the new pope.
Technically, a Camerlengo can be elected as the new Pope, a rarity in history happening twice before – Gioacchino Pecci (Pope Leo XIII) in 1878 and Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII) in 1939.