He contrasted a "practical" viewpoint with those of theology and canon law.
"We wanted to ensure that 'Amoris Laetitia' was dealt with from a practical point of view, not from a theological-canonical point of view," Farrell stated. "And, therefore, I didn't include any courses on Canon Law. None."
The cardinal characterized opposition to Pope Francis as "unprecedented" and "vicious", and claimed that the pope "has put the Church on an evangelical road" based on the Gospel.
He also said that "it's so important that lay people take responsibility for the Church, and for the future of the Church."
Discussing the sexual abuse crisis, he focused on the meeting being held at the Vatican next month among presidents of bishops' conferences, saying, "My hope is that there would be a clear vision of where we are going in the future," while managing expectations for the summit: "expectations for the meeting are being created that can't humanly be met".
"Instead of passing the problem to Rome, I think bishops need to take responsibility for the situation in their own nation," he added.
Farrell also faced questions about his time living with now-disgraced Archbishop Theodore McCarrick.
"I lived in the episcopal residence, where there were six other priests, two bishops. Did I ever know? No. Did I ever suspect? No. Did he ever abuse any seminarian in Washington? No. I never went anywhere with him. I was the Vicar-General, I was the one stuck in the offices all the time, dealing with all the problems. The archbishop of the diocese is out and about. He's in Rome, he's in Latin America, all over the world."