Who Leads the Catholic Church Between Popes?

The film Conclave begins with the death of the Pope. It then follows the chain of events from that moment to the election of a new Pope, following a few characters—portrayed by a cast that won the top honor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards—who play key roles.

[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

In real life, after the death of Pope Francis on April 21, Cardinals Kevin Farrell, a 77-year-old Irish-American, and Giovanni Battista Re, a 91-year-old Italian, will take the places of actors John Lithgow and Ralph Fiennes, as the Camerlengo, or Chamberlain, of the Holy Roman Church and Dean of the College of Cardinals, respectively.

Here’s what to know about the two Catholic leaders’ backgrounds and duties during the critical interregnum period for the Vatican.

Read More: How a New Pope Is Chosen—and Who It Could Be

Who is the Camerlengo?

Farrell’s first task on Monday morning was to announce Francis’ death to the world. Later that evening, he oversaw the sealing of the doors to the papal apartments where Francis lived.

As Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, a position he was appointed to by Francis in 2019, Farrell is charged with “safeguarding and administering the goods and temporal rights of the Holy See,” according to the Apostolic Constitution.

Following the death of a Pope, the Camerlengo becomes effectively the interim administrative leader of the Church, tasked with observing a set of traditions as well as following the late Pope’s wishes.

After certifying and announcing the Pope’s death and sealing the papal apartments, he must also destroy the Pope’s Fisherman’s Ring and lead bulla used as a signet.

The Camerlengo is also tasked with overseeing funeral arrangements and preparing for the conclave—or the election of a new Pope.

Read More: What to Know About Funeral Arrangements for Pope Francis

While the position is powerful and influential in the Vatican during this time, it is rare for a Camerlengo to be chosen as the next pontiff—according to the Times of London, historically only two Popes, Leo XIII in 1878 and Pius XII in 1939, ascended to the papacy from the prior position of Camerlengo.

What to know about Kevin Farrell

Farrell was born on Sept. 2, 1947, in Dublin, Ireland, but has lived elsewhere for his adult life, including a large period spent in the U.S., where he became a naturalized citizen. Farrell obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in Spain and Italy, according to his Vatican biography. (He also later earned an MBA and honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Notre Dame.) 

Following in the footsteps of his older brother Brian, Farrell entered the Legionaries of Christ congregation in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1978 in Rome. (Brian Farrell served as the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity from 2002 until his retirement in 2024.)

As a priest, Farrell first served in Mexico as chaplain at the University of Monterrey. In 1984, he transferred to the archdiocese of Washington, where he served parishes in the District of Columbia and surrounding region. In 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed Farrell as auxiliary bishop of Washington, where he served as vicar general for administration and moderator of the Curia until 2007. 

From 2002 until 2006, Farrell worked and lived with then-Archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick—the infamous former cardinal who was defrocked in 2019 by Pope Francis following a Vatican probe into allegations of sexual abuse of minors and adults. Farrell has repeatedly denied prior knowledge of his former supervisor’s wrongdoing.

In 2007, Farrell was appointed bishop of Dallas. 

In 2016, following Francis’ ascension after Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation in 2013, Farrell was tapped for a Vatican role leading the new Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life. The same year, he was made a cardinal.

Farrell, according to a 2016 CBS News report, is known as “a moderate with a warm, friendly approach.” He is largely perceived to agree with the late Pope on doctrinal issues, and has supported the late Pope’s hopes for larger reforms in the Catholic Church. Farrell has echoed Francis’ calls for increasing women’s participation in the church, though he controversially banned former Irish President Mary McAleese—who supports women’s ordination—from speaking at a Vatican event in 2018. Farrell has also echoed Francis’ defense of migrants’ rights, having previously written in a blog, per CBS, that “immigration reform is a moral issue.” In 2017 and 2018, Farrell caused controversy after saying that “priests are not the best people to train others for marriage.”

In what was largely seen as a vote of confidence, Francis nominated Farrell in 2019 to the Camerlengo post. Farrell’s subsequent appointments also hinted at the late Pope’s continued trust in him: he was named president of the Commission for Confidential Matters in 2020, chair of the Pontifical Committee for Investments in 2022, and president of the Vatican City State Supreme Court in 2023. 

In a 2022 interview with Catholic magazine America, Farrell said he joked with Francis upon accepting the role of Camerlengo, not wanting to give thought to the Pope’s eventual retirement or passing: “I will accept this job Your Holiness, but on one condition, that you preach at my funeral!”

Who is Giovanni Battista Re and what are his duties?

Re is the dean of the College of Cardinals, the group of cardinal electors who will choose the next Pope.

Born on Jan. 30, 1934 in the Italian commune of Borno, Re is one of the longest-serving senior cardinals in the Vatican. According to his Vatican biography, Re holds a doctorate in canon law, and was ordained for the diocese of Brescia, where he taught in a seminary before entering the Holy See’s diplomatic service, for which he served missions in Panama and Iran. In 2001, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Re as a cardinal. Re was elected dean in 2020 and was set to serve a five-year term until Francis extended it in February.

In 2020, America described Re as someone who “knows the Roman Curia like few others.” 

According to the Apostolic Constitution Universi Dominici Gregis, the dean is tasked with communicating news of the Pope’s death, alongside the Camerlengo, and summoning the conclave. The dean technically does not hold authority over the cardinal electors, simply presiding over their congregations.

Previous deans have wielded considerable influence. Joseph Ratzinger was elected dean of the College of Cardinals in 2002, and three years later, he presided over Pope John Paul II’s funeral and was elected to be the next Pope, taking on the name Benedict XVI.

While typically the dean would preside over the conclave, neither Re nor his vice dean Cardinal Leonardo Sandri can participate this time because they are both over the age of 80. The administrative responsibilities during the vote will pass to the next most senior member of the College of Cardinals.

Once a new Pope has been chosen by the electors, it is the dean who asks the electee: “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?” If the electee consents, the Dean then asks him what he has chosen as his papal name.