Pope Leo XIV Appoints Illinois Bishop To Lead NY Archdiocese Amid Challenges
(ANALYSIS) In a move that underscores the evolving priorities of the Catholic Church in the U.S., Pope Leo XIV replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan as Archbishop of New York, appointing Bishop Ronald Hicks of Illinois to lead the nation’s second-largest diocese.
The announcement on Thursday represents both a generational and ideological shift at the helm of a historically influential American archdiocese.
“I accept this appointment with humility and an open heart,” Hicks said. “I ask for your support and your prayers, and I ask God to support us as always.”
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Dolan, 75, had offered his resignation earlier this year as required by canon law’s age restrictions. Known for his high-profile presence in American politics, Dolan has been a prominent conservative voice within the U.S. Catholic hierarchy. His tenure has been marked by public visibility, including officiating at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, drawing both admiration and criticism from American Catholics.
By contrast, Hicks, 58, is relatively unknown outside Joliet, Illinois. Like Leo, who worked in Peru for 20 years, Hicks spent five years as a missionary in El Salvador. In fact, his background suggests a deliberate recalibration by this pope. Hicks’ age — 58 is relatively young in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church — also shows that he is tasked with running the archdiocese for a long time.
Both Hicks and the pope are from the Midwest (they grew up just a seven-minute drive from one another) and both spent formative years as missionaries in Latin America. Hicks’ pastoral experience emphasizes engagement with immigrant communities — particularly Hispanics — and has openly supported a measured approach to U.S. immigration policy that balances border security and human dignity.
At a news conference on Thursday held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, Hicks, who appeared alongside the always-cheerful Dolan, said he was proud of the Catholic bishops’ recent statement rebuking the Trump administration’s deportation campaign.
“[We must] also be a country that upholds human dignity, respect, treating each other well, and making sure that anything connected to these policies are connected to due process,” Hicks said. “And, again, with a great deal of respect for humanity, our brothers and sisters, how we see each other, how we relate to each other — in that context of human dignity.”
Pope Leo’s move can be seen as part of a broader strategy to reshape American Catholic leadership. By elevating a relatively untested — but reform-minded cleric — he is signaling that pastoral experience, cultural sensitivity and alignment with a global vision of the church are now as valued as media presence or political influence.
For U.S. Catholics as a whole and New Yorkers in particular, the transition from Dolan to Hicks, who speaks Spanish, may mark not only a change in style but also a recalibration of the church’s voice in public life.
“I’ve been told that I have a gentle spirit, yet I’m able to also be strong and to try to set vision and agendas,” Bishop Hicks once told a Catholic diocesan publication in 2020.
The appointment also shows that Pope Leo appears intent on positioning leaders who can bridge divisions in an increasingly fragmented U.S. Catholic landscape.
Hicks steps into leadership at a particularly challenging moment.
The Archdiocese of New York, which serves 2.8 million Catholics, has been dealing with a series of financial strains linked to more than $300 million in expected settlements for survivors of decades-old clergy sex abuse. Under Dolan, the archdiocese implemented a series of budget cuts, school closings and property sales in order to make those payouts.
Hicks inherits this difficult fiscal landscape — along with the delicate task of restoring trust among the faithful — when he officially takes over as head of the archdiocese on February 6.
“As a church, we can never rest in our efforts to prevent abuse, to protect children and to care for survivors,” Hicks said. “While this work is challenging, it’s difficult, it’s painful. I hope it will continue to help in the areas of accountability, transparency and healing.”
Clemente Lisi serves as executive editor at Religion Unplugged.