Who is Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the acting head of the Vatican?

When the world learned of Pope Francis’ death on Monday morning, a cardinal with longstanding ties to the US 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.

Source: BBC | Language: English