Staff reporter
Pope Francis has appointed the Irish-born Bishop of Dallas, Kevin Farrell, as the head of the new Dicastery for Laity, the Family, and Life. The move sees Bishop Farrell become the most senior US Churchman to serve in the Holy See.
Reacting to news of his appointment, Bishop Farrell said: “I look forward to being part of the important work of the universal Church in the promotion of the laity and the apostolate of the laity and for the pastoral care of the family in accordance with the Pope’s recent apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, the Joy of Love and the support of human life.”
Kevin Farrell was born in Dublin in 1947. He joined the Legionaries of Christ in 1966 and went on to study for seven degrees over the next 10 years. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in 1978 before service as chaplain to the University of Monterrey, Mexico.
Leaving the Legionaries, Fr Farrell moved to the United States to be incardinated into the Archdiocese of Washington DC. He was named Auxiliary Bishop of Washington by Pope John Paul II in 2001 and a bishop in 2002. He was appointed as Bishop of Dallas, Texas by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.