The man tasked with leading the Catholic Church until a replacement for Pope Francis is elected is a bloke from Dublin called Kevin.
Raised in an Irish-speaking household in the working class suburb of Drimnagh, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell has risen to become one of the most powerful men in the Vatican.
The 77-year-old’s firm opposition to same-sex marriage stands in contrast to Pope Francis’s decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples.
But this didn’t stop the late Pope from appointing him ‘camerlengo’, giving him responsibility for ensuring a smooth transition.
After certifying Francis’s death, Farrell will prepare for the papal conclave, through which the next Pope will be elected.
This private gathering of cardinals at the Vatican must take place within 15 to 20 days of the Pope’s death.
Behind closed doors, cardinals will discuss and keep voting until a majority selects a successor.
White smoke released from a Vatican chimney will indicate the moment when this task is complete.
Farrell will likely stay on in his position as camerlengo after this until he turns 80 or resigns for health reasons.
But there is a slim chance it is Farrell himself who is elected by his peers to serve as the next Pope.
That might be a longshot however, as Farrell is nowhere near the bookies favourite.
Currently the odds are in favour of the progressive Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines, who would be the first Asian Pope, or the continuity candidate Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Farrell spent much of his career in the USA, but it was in Drimnagh, in an Irish republican household, where he became an active member of the Catholic Church.
At 13 or 14, Farrell joined the Legionaries of Christ, an ultra-conservative religious order whose founder abused at least 175 children since he founded it in 1941.
There is no indication Farrell was a victim, but the abuse scandals rocking the Catholic Church would linger throughout his career.
In 2001, Farrell was consecrated as a bishop by Theodore McCarrick, a cardinal later kicked out of the clergy by Pope Francis after McCarrick was found to have used his position to sexually abuse adults and children.
‘Never once did I even suspect’, Farrell said. ‘I was focused on running the archdiocese. What Cardinal McCarrick was doing here, there and everywhere and all over the world didn’t enter into my daily routine of running the archdiocese of Washington.
‘At no time did anyone ever approach me and tell me. And I was approached by over 70 victims of abuse [in different cases] from all over the United States after 2002.’
Farrell’s career rose to new heights when Pope Francis was elected in 2013 following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
The late Pope appointed him to a newly created role at the Vatican in 2016, rising to the rank of camerlengo in 2019.
When Pope Francis died, Farrell said: ‘His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church.
‘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.’
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