North Texas Catholics mourn Pope Francis, Cardinal Farrell leads transition
In Fort Worth and across North Texas, Catholics are continuing to pray on Wednesday for the late Pope Francis, who died April 21 at the age of 88.
Now, in this period of transition, the task of temporarily leading the entire Roman Catholic Church falls on the shoulders of Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who was once the bishop of the Diocese of Dallas.
"The people of North Texas loved Bishop Farrell," said Sister Gloria Cain, former superintendent of the Diocese of Dallas Catholic Schools.
Cain told CBS News Texas that Cardinal Farrell is not just a faith leader, but her friend. She worked closely with Farrell for years after he selected her to be superintendent of Dallas Catholic Schools in 2008.
"He wanted a collaborative relationship, and that's what he got. He wanted people to use their gifts and talents and use their creativity," Cain said.
From day one, Cain saw Farrell lead the diocese with a different approach.
"We had 40 Catholic schools at the time, and he said, 'I want to go visit the schools with you.' So, we would go together to visit the schools. That was very, very interesting," she said.
Cain said Farrell's focus as bishop was to help poorer communities of Dallas access better education, leading him to help open Cristo Rey Preparatory School in Pleasant Grove. This year marks the school's 10th anniversary.
"He knew that education was the gateway to a good, productive life," said Cain.
After serving as Dallas' bishop for nearly a decade, Pope Francis called Farrell to Rome to lead a new Vatican department and be one of the pope's close advisors. "It was sad when he left," Cain recalled, "But he was doing what he knew was right and what he was called for."
According to Vatican sources, Cardinal Farrell is not considered a top front-runner to be the next pope, but Cain is praying for the possibility.
"I don't know if he'd be the right person to be pope. Only God knows that," she added.
Cardinal Farrell's official title right now is Camerlengo of the Roman Catholic Church. In that role, he will oversee Pope Francis' funeral, as well as the preparation for the conclave, which will begin its process to choose the next pope in the coming weeks.
