Pope Leo appoints pro-migrant successor Ronald Hicks to New York archbishop
The Vatican taps Bishop Ronald Hicks to replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan, signaling a continued emphasis on migrants’ rights amid U.S. immigration policy and a major leadership change in the nation’s largest Catholic archdiocese.
Pope Leo named Bishop Ronald Hicks to succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan as archbishop of New York, a move that reshapes leadership in the nation’s largest Catholic diocese and signals the pope’s ongoing emphasis on migrants’ rights amid a hardening U.S. immigration policy.
The Vatican announced Hicks’s appointment on Thursday. He is scheduled to be installed as New York’s archbishop on February 6, and Dolan will remain as interim leader until then. Hicks, a Chicago native who has spent years in Latin America, including leading the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos organization that cares for orphans in nine countries, told reporters at a New York press conference that he has “a great heart for the Latino community” and that he loves all people. “I was really formed by the Latino church,” he said. “And I have a great heart for the Latino community. And so we have someone who not only speaks Spanish but understands that this community is a vital part of the church. And I think what you're going to see is that I love all people.”
Timothy Dolan, who has led the archdiocese since 2009 and was elevated to cardinal in 2012, has been a prominent conservative voice in U.S. Catholic leadership and a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. Dolan’s approach to immigration has varied over time; while he has supported border security, he has also urged a more unified, humane approach that includes “sound, fair, and benevolent immigration reform.” Dolan offered to resign after turning 75, a canonical requirement, though popes review such requests before deciding whether to accept them.
Hicks is expected to oversee a diocese that has faced significant legal and financial challenges in recent years. He previously served as the Chicago archdiocese’s vicar general, led the Mundelein Seminary as dean, and was named bishop of Joliet, Illinois, in 2020, where he served roughly 520,000 Catholics across seven counties. In the public sphere, Hicks has been less vocal on politics than Dolan, but last month he endorsed a statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opposing indiscriminate mass deportations and highlighting immigrants’ contributions to the nation. He described that message as “powerful and unified,” adding that the country should “uphold human dignity” and ensure due process in policy decisions.
The move comes as Dolan’s archdiocese announced a plan to create a $300 million fund to settle about 1,300 outstanding sexual abuse claims by priests and church staff. Dolan said the archdiocese had reduced operating expenses and staff and would raise additional funds by selling assets. The allocation stands as a major element of the archdiocese’s ongoing attempts to address decades of abuse allegations while continuing charitable and outreach programs that have long defined the New York see.
Hicks’s appointment also reflects broader questions about the Catholic Church’s direction under Pope Leo, who has strongly emphasized the rights and dignity of migrants in the face of national policies that have sought to tighten border controls. The Vatican’s Thursday announcement named Hicks as the successor to Dolan, placing a spotlight on a candidate whose background includes extensive work with Latino communities and a track record of pastoral administration in Chicago and Joliet.
For New York Catholics and observers, the installation is expected to influence how the archdiocese engages with policymakers, parishes, and immigrant communities during a period of national political polarization. Dolan, who has hosted the Al Smith Charity Dinner and has been involved in national conversations on immigration, will transition to interim leadership as Hicks prepares to take the helm amid ongoing debates about border security, refugee policy, and the treatment of migrants.
As Hicks prepares to assume duties in one of America’s most high-profile dioceses, the broader church in New York faces a dual task: continuing extensive charitable work and addressing the legal and financial repercussions of past abuses, while navigating a climate of national debate over immigration and religious liberty. The Vatican’s decision underscores the church’s expectation that diocesan leadership will align with a broader, more migrant-conscious ethos at a time when both spiritual and social programs within the archdiocese require careful stewardship.