The movie Conclave begins with the death of the pope. He then followed the chain of events of this moment in the election of a new pope, following some characters – carried by a casting which won the best honor to the Screen Actors Guild Awards – who play key roles.
In real life, after the death of Pope Francis on April 21, Cardinaux Kevin Farrell, an Irish-American 77-year-old, and Giovanni Battista Re, an Italian of 91 Camerlengoor Chamberlain, from the Holy Roman and Dean church of the Cardinals College, respectively.
Here’s what you need to know about the history and homework of the two Catholic leaders during the criticism interregnum period for the Vatican.
Find out more: How a new pope is chosen and which could be
Who is Camerlengo?
Farrell’s first task on Monday morning was to announce Francis’ death in the world. Later in the evening, he supervised the sealing of the doors to the papal apartments where Francis lived.
As Camerlengo of the Roman Roman Holy Church, a post to which he was appointed by Francis in 2019, Farrell is accused of “safeguarding and administering the property and temporal rights of the Holy See”, according to the Apostolic Constitution.
After the death of a pope, Camerlengo effectively becomes the interim administrative chief of the church, responsible for observing a set of traditions as well as following the wishes of the deceased Pope.
After having certified and announced the death of the pope and sealed the papal apartments, he must also destroy the fisherman’s ring of the Pope and direct Bulla Used as a sigon.
Camerlengo is also responsible for supervising the funeral arrangements and preparing for the conclave – or the election of a new Pope.
Learn more:: What to know about funeral arrangements for Pope Francis
Although the position is powerful and influential in the Vatican during this period, it is rare for a Camerlengo to be chosen as the next pontiff – according to the Times From London, historically only two popes, Leo XIII in 1878 and Pius XII in 1939, were mounted in the papacy from the anterior position of Camerlengo.
What to know of Kevin Farrell
According to the traces of his older brother Brian, Farrell entered the legionaries of the Congregation of Christ in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1978 in Rome. (Brian Farrell was secretary of the Pontifical Council for the promotion of the Christian unit in 2002 until his retirement in 2024.)
As a priest, Farrell first served in Mexico as chaplain at the University of Monterrey. In 1984, he was transferred to the Archdiocese of Washington, where he served parishes in the District of Columbia and the surrounding region. In 2001, Pope John Paul II appointed Farrell as auxiliary bishop of Washington, where he was vicar general to the administration and moderator of the Curia until 2007.
From 2002 to 2006, Farrell worked and lived with Washington Theodore McCarrick – the former Cardinal Infamous who was defrocked in 2019 by Pope Francis following a Vatican investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of minors and adults. Farrell has repeatedly denied prior knowledge of the reprehensible acts of his old supervisor.
In 2007, Farrell was appointed bishop of Dallas.
In 2016, following Francis’ ascent after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, Farrell was exploited for a role of the Vatican leading the new Dicastery for lay people, family and life. The same year, it was made cardinal.
Farrell, according to a 2016 CBS News report, is known as “a moderate with a warm and friendly approach”. It is largely perceived as agreeing with the late Pope on doctrinal issues and supported the hopes of the deceased pope for more important reforms in the Catholic Church. Farrell echoed Francis’s calls to increase women’s participation in the Church, although he has controversially prohibited the former Irish president Mary McCalese – who supports the ordination of women – speech during a Vatican event in 2018. Farrell also echoed the “defense reform of Francis migrants. 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 considered a vote of trust, Francis appointed Farrell in 2019 at Camerlengo Post. Farrell’s subsequent appointments also alluded to the continuous confidence of the late the Pope in him: he was appointed president of the Commission for confidential questions in 2020, president of the Pontifical Committee for Investments in 2022 and president of the Supreme Court of the State of the City of the Vatican in 2023.
In an interview in 2022 with the Catholic magazine AmericaFarrell said that he had joked with Francis by accepting the role of Camerlengo, not wanting to think about the possible retirement of the Pope or by passing: “I will accept this work your holiness, but on a condition, that you preach to my funeral!”
Who is Giovanni Battista Re and what are his functions?
Re is the dean of the Cardinal College, the group of cardinal voters who will choose the next Pope.
Born January 30, 1934 in the Italian commune of Borno, Re is one of the longest senior cardinals in the Vatican. According to his biography of the Vatican, Re holding a doctorate in canon law and was ordered for the diocese of Brescia, where he taught in a seminar before entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See, 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 should serve a five -year term until Francis extended it in February.
In 2020, America Described Re as someone who “knows Roman Curia as a few others”.
According to the Universi Dominici Gregis Apostolic Constitution, the dean is responsible for communicating the news of the Pope’s death, alongside Camerlengo, and convening the conclave. The Dean does not technically hold authority over cardinal voters, simply presiding over their congregations.
The previous deans have exerted considerable influence. Joseph Ratzinger was elected dean of the Cardinals College in 2002, and three years later, he presided over the funeral of Pope John Paul II and was elected the next Pope, taking the name of Benoît XVI.
While the dean generally presides over the conclave, neither Re nor his vice-dean Cardinal Leonardo Sandri cannot participate this time because they are both over 80 years old. Administrative responsibilities during the vote will move to the next most senior member of the Cardinals College.
Once a new pope has been chosen by the voters, it is the dean asking the voters: “Do you accept your canonical election as a supreme pontiff?” If we consent, the dean then asks him what he chose as his papal name.
