Kevin Farrell

Cardinal Farrell has been one of the most prominent defenders of Amoris laetitia, saying in 2019 that 'there is nothing in Amoris laetitia that is contrary to the Gospel' and describing a case-by-case discernment that can lead divorced and remarried Catholics back to Communion. In 2021 he stated that blessings are tied to sacramental marriage, while insisting that no one is excluded from the Church's pastoral care. He also promotes a strongly pro-life pastoral approach to difficult pregnancies.

No public statement by Cardinal Farrell on the traditional Latin Mass, Summorum Pontificum or Traditionis custodes has been found. His Vatican responsibilities have concerned the laity, family, finances and the office of camerlengo rather than liturgy.

As Bishop of Dallas, Farrell was an outspoken advocate of stricter gun control in 2016, banning weapons from diocesan churches and calling for an end to 'senseless violence' after the killing of five police officers. In 2008, with the Bishop of Fort Worth, he also told Catholics that no proportionate reason could outweigh abortion when voting. He has welcomed people in need regardless of their faith, as with the family of a Dallas Ebola victim in 2014.

Cardinal Farrell was one of Pope Francis's closest collaborators in the Curia: prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life from 2016, camerlengo from 2019, chairman of the Vatican investment committee and president of the Vatican Court of Cassation. In a 2023 article he publicly rebutted critics who described Francis as an autocrat, accusing some commentators of pushing 'anti-Francis agendas'.

Cardinal Farrell has not been a prominent figure in formal interreligious dialogue. As Bishop of Dallas he stressed that 'we are all part of one human family', and in 2016 the Dallas Holocaust Museum created an award named after him for advancing human rights and combating prejudice. He describes himself as 'always open to respectful dialogue with everybody'.

Cardinal Farrell speaks frankly in interviews and opinion pieces, sometimes provoking debate, as when he said in 2017-2018 that priests lack credibility on the lived reality of marriage and that lay couples are better placed to prepare others for it. He frequently stresses listening and bridge-building, and as camerlengo announced Pope Francis's death to the world in 2025.