In one of the most significant steps of his papacy so far, Pope Leo has chosen Bishop Ronald Hicks to lead New York City as its next archbishop. It is the second-largest U.S. archdiocese by population, with 2.5 million Catholics.
The announcement comes almost a year after Cardinal Timothy Dolan submitted his resignation from the position back in February. He spoke about the process on Sirius XM's Catholic Channel that same month:
CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN
You have to submit your letter of resignation and you don’t know exactly. I know recently it seems to be like between six and eight months. Usually the Holy See would ask you to stay until your successor is appointed, and you don’t know when that will be.
We now know and many are surely wondering what to make of Archbishop-elect Hicks as he fills the shoes of one of the US church's most iconic and well known Archbishops.
Before December 18, Bishop Hicks served as the head of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois, a role he began in September of 2020. He is chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations.
The Archbishop-elect and Pope Leo also share many things in common. For example, both are from Chicago and both served as missionaries in South America.
But there is also potential for tension between the two—unlike Pope Leo, Bishop Hicks is a fan of the Chicago Clubs, not the White Sox.
JPO
