Pope Leo XIV names Bishop Ronald Hicks to lead New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy Dolan in a shift signalling solidarity with migrants.
NEW YORK: Pope Leo XIV has appointed a fellow Chicago native, Bishop Ronald Hicks, as the new archbishop of New York.
The 58-year-old replaces Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a theological conservative seen as close to former President Donald Trump, who stepped down upon reaching the church’s retirement age of 75.
Hicks called himself an “unworthy servant” during his first Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which he also addressed in Spanish.
“I’ve always loved the energy of New York,” Hicks told staff of the archdiocese at the annual event.
His appointment is the most consequential Pope Leo has made since his election in May and signals a pushback on US immigration policies.
Hicks shares the pope’s outspoken solidarity with migrants, contrasting with the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance stance.
“Thanks to all of you…and thanks to God,” Hicks said in Spanish to the congregation.
More than 36% of New Yorkers are foreign-born and 1.8 million speak Spanish at home.
Hicks endorsed a recent US bishops’ statement that heavily criticised policies toward undocumented migrants.
The statement “affirms our solidarity with all our brothers and sisters,” Hicks said.
Dolan warmly introduced his successor, walking him around the cathedral with a hand on his shoulder.
“We got a good one,” Dolan told congregants.
Parish volunteer Margie Javier, 82, said Hicks will do a very good job and will stay a long time due to his youth.
Hicks joked about managing the rivalry between his native Chicago and New York.
“Potentially my first controversial statement: I’m a Cubs fan and I love deep-dish pizza,” he said.
He added he would start rooting for New York teams and already loves the city’s pizza.
Hicks noted his childhood home was just 14 blocks from Pope Leo’s.
“In my 31 years of priesthood, I was formed in Chicago,” he said.
He spent five years in ministry in El Salvador, running a church orphanage program across nine countries.
The pair only met for the first time in 2024, despite both being from Chicago.
Dolan, a fierce opponent of abortion, sparked controversy last September by comparing Trump supporter Charlie Kirk to a “modern-day Saint Paul.”
Hicks now inherits the ongoing challenge of managing the fallout from sexual abuse scandals.
The New York archdiocese recently created a RM1.4 billion fund to compensate victims.
Dolan said this required “very difficult financial decisions,” including layoffs and budget cuts.
Hicks is familiar with such crises, as his former Joliet diocese was criticised for its handling of abusive priests.
The scandal is “something that is never going to be behind us,” Hicks told Vatican News.
He will be formally installed as archbishop on February 6. – AFP
