A relatively unknown Illinois bishop has been selected to replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the archbishop of the most high-profile diocese in the United States.
Bishop Ronald Hicks will replace Dolan as the Catholic Church‘s spiritual authority in the Archdiocese of New York, among the most preeminent pastoral offices in the country — and one currently entangled in financial crisis.
“I accept this appointment, and I ask for your prayers, I ask for your support,” Hicks said at a press conference on Thursday.
“New York is in energy, languages, cultures, and people,” he said. “As excited as I am to get to know the city and the archdiocese and all who call this home, I’m also very aware that these are complex and challenging days, especially as we face issues of life, faith, justice, peace, and healing.”
Hicks previously served as an auxiliary bishop under Cardinal Blase Cupich in the Archdiocese of Chicago before being appointed the bishop of the much smaller Diocese of Joliet.
Dolan has led the New York Archdiocese for approximately 16 years. The cardinal is among the most prominent Catholic clerics in the U.S. and around the world, frequently appearing on national news and hosting his own radio show on SiriusXM.
Dolan was speculated to have played kingmaker in the February conclave that elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, allegedly marshalling American and other English-speaking princes of the church into a powerful voting bloc.
He requested that the pope allow him to retire earlier this year on his 75th birthday, in accordance with canon law. Resignations of prelates are sometimes deferred by the Vatican passed the age of 75, but Dolan’s unusually long stint in the strenuous office likely incurred mercy from Rome.
The outgoing cardinal told the press on Thursday that Hick’s appointment feels like “an early Christmas gift.”
“Is there sadness in my heart? Sure, because I love the archdiocese of New York,” Dolan said. “That sadness is mitigated by the gift that this new archbishop already is.”
Much attention has been drawn to parallels between Hicks and the pope, both in their biographies and personalities.
Both clerics hail from the Midwest, spent years of ministry in Latin America, and carry themselves with a quiet, subdued presence.
“We grew up literally in the same radius, in the same neighborhood together. We played in the same parks, went swimming in the same pools, liked the same pizza places,” Hicks said of the pope in an interview with the Vatican’s media outlet.
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“I want to cooperate with him. I want to respect his priorities and work with him to help bring those to reality, to light,” Hicks said. “I’m just very grateful to Pope Leo, and I want to say it’s been my joy and honor serving both Chicago and Joliet. And I’m ready, with the help of God, to make this next step into New York.”
Hicks is inheriting an archdiocese mired in financial strains. Real estate assets are being sold off to generate a $300 million fund for victims of child sex abuse in cases dating back decades.
Retired Judge Daniel Buckley has been engaged as a mediator between the church and victims to oversee the disbursement of compensation funds.