Cardinal Kevin Farrell

Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life

Birthday: 2 September 1947
Education:

Bachelor’s of Arts – University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
Master’s in Philosophy – Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy
Licentiate in Theology – Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy
Master’s in Dogmatic Theology – Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, Italy
Licentiate of Sacred Theology in Pastoral Theology – Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, Italy
Master’s in Business and Administration – University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Ordination: 24 December 1978
Episcopate: 28 December 2001
Cardinal: 19 November 2016
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Cardinal Kevin Farrell on the Issues

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Viganò testimony

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Amoris Laetitia

Permits Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics
  • At a convention in Belfast in September 2017, Cardinal Farrell defended Amoris Laetitia and said the authors of the dubia “use any excuse just to attack” Pope Francis. Farrell also said that Francis is “not a heretic.” (The Texas Catholic)
  • In 2016, Cardinal Farrell publicly criticized Archbishop Charles Chaput’s guidelines on communion. Farrell claimed Chaput’s guidelines, which disallow communion for divorced and remarried Catholics not abstaining from sexual relations, are causing “division.” Farrell said there are “all kinds of different circumstances” that could result in communion being given to divorced and remarried Catholics. (LifeSiteNews)

Pro-life leadership

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Homosexuality

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  • Cardinal Farrell met with organizers of a 2017 Catholic ethics conference in Sarajevo that featured many feminist and pro-LGBT speakers. The organizers, known same-sex “marriage” supporters, boasted that they had “lengthy meetings” with “many Roman/Vatican institutions” in an effort to “build bridges.” Pope Francis eventually issued a statement supporting the group’s 2018 conference, which focused on climate change and social justice issues. (LifeSiteNews)

Abortion politics

Unclear if he upholds Church teaching on abortion politics
  • At a convention in Belfast in 2017, Cardinal Farrell was asked about refusing Communion to pro-abortion politicians. Farrell told Catholic News Service that even though he thought being pro-abortion was wrong, the church is “for those who have sinned” and that redemption is for all. (The Texas Catholic)
  • While serving as bishop of Dallas, Texas in 2008, Farrell issued a statement rejecting voting for pro-abortion politicians. “To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or ‘abortion rights’ when there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible,” the letter said. (American Life League)

Contraception

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  • Cardinal Farrell, along with other North Texas bishops, issued a statement condemning the Affordable Care Act mandate which required employers to provide health insurance that covers contraception. Farrell called the mandate “outrageous” and asked Catholics to join him “by speaking out for the protection of conscience rights and religious liberty.” (Priests for Life)

“LGBT” ideology

Does not uphold Church teaching on “LGBT” ideology
  • Cardinal Farrell endorsed a book written by pro-gay Vatican consultant Fr. James Martin. The book does not mention the sinfulness of homosexual acts, fails to call on homosexual persons to live chaste lives, and demands the Church change its teaching on LGBT issues. Farrell said the book will make “LGBT Catholics feel more at home” in the church. (LifeSiteNews)
  • Pro-gay Fr. James Martin is the keynote speaker at the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Ireland. The Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life invited Fr. Martin to present. Cardinal Farrell is the prefect of the dicastery. Fr. Martin’s speech is titled “Exploring how Parishes can support those families with members who identify as LGBTI+” (LifeSiteNews)

Liturgy

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Marriage and Family Life

Unclear on the Church’s teachings on marriage and family life
  • During an interview with an Irish Catholic magazine in July 2018, Cardinal Farrell said priests “have no credibility” when it comes to marriage prep. “Priests are not the best people to train others for marriage,” he said. “They have never lived the experience.” Farrell’s remarks contradict Pope John Paul II’s remarks on the role priests play in preparing couples for marriage. They were also roundly criticized by theologians and pro-family leaders. (LifeSiteNews)

Education

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