Pope Leo XIV is expected to appoint Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet as the next Archbishop of New York, with an announcement anticipated around December 18. Bishop Hicks will succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who has led the New York archdiocese since 2009. The incoming archbishop faces significant challenges, including managing a $300 million fund established from real estate sales to compensate sexual abuse survivors. The archdiocese is currently in litigation with Chubb Insurance over liability policies and is struggling with declining priestly vocations, having only two applicants for formation in 2024.
3 months ago
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, as the new Archbishop of New York, succeeding retiring Cardinal Timothy Dolan.1 2 3
The official announcement came on December 18, 2025, following rumors and confirmations from Vatican sources as early as December 16.1 2
Hicks, 58, will lead the archdiocese serving 2.5 million Catholics across Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, and seven northern counties.1 3
Born August 4, 1967, in Harvey, Illinois, Hicks grew up in South Holland near Chicago.1 5
Ordained in 1994 for the Archdiocese of Chicago, he served in parishes, as dean of formation at seminaries, and as vicar general under Cardinal Blase Cupich.2 3
From 2005-2010, he directed Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos orphanage program in El Salvador, overseeing care for over 3,400 children across Latin America.1 5
Appointed auxiliary bishop of Chicago in 2018 and Joliet bishop in 2020, he chairs the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations.2 3
Hicks and Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Prevost) share Chicago south suburb origins, attending similar schools and enjoying the same local spots.1 5
Hicks noted their similarities after meeting Prevost in 2024, describing extended private talks on shared priorities.1
Both have Latin American missionary experience: Leo in Peru for 20 years, Hicks in El Salvador for five.1 5
The appointment marks Leo's most significant U.S. move, signaling a preference for "Leo-style" bishops focused on solidarity with immigrants.1
Dolan, 75, submitted resignation in February 2025 after turning 75, leading New York since 2009.1 2
A prominent conservative with Trump ties, Dolan finalized a $300 million abuse victim compensation fund via asset sales, including the chancery.1 2
Hicks inherits oversight of this fund, ongoing litigation with insurer Chubb, and about 1,300 abuse claims.1 2
The archdiocese faces priest shortages: only two 2024 applicants, 18 seminarians for 2.5 million Catholics, and 51% priest decline since 1970.2
Religious practice has dropped despite Catholic population growth.2
Hicks' Spanish fluency and Hispanic outreach experience suit the over 1 million Latino Catholics.5
Tensions with the Trump administration on immigration raids, especially in Chicago, loom large.1
In Joliet, Hicks issued the "MAKE" pastoral letter promoting evangelization through conversion, confession, communion, and mission.5
He supports pro-life causes, reverent liturgy, the National Eucharistic Revival, and Traditional Latin Mass communities, differing from Cupich's restrictions.5
Sources praise his pastoral heart, administrative skills, and focus on vocations and the poor.2 5
Hicks endorsed USCCB criticism of immigration policies, aligning with church social teaching.1
The pick offers insight into Leo's U.S. vision: missionary-oriented, bridge-building leaders amid abuse fallout and cultural shifts.1 5
Hicks may boost vocations and evangelization in media-heavy New York, navigating politics with Gov. Hochul and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.5
Observers see him as orthodox, gentle yet visionary, independent despite Cupich ties.5
Investigate how episcopal appointments reflect papal priorities in the U.S
Episcopal appointments in the United States serve as a primary mechanism through which popes articulate and advance their pastoral priorities, selecting bishops who embody virtues like charity, evangelization, and holiness while addressing contemporary challenges such as scandals and cultural shifts. Historically and doctrinally, these choices reflect the pope's role in ensuring apostolic succession and fidelity to the Gospel, often prioritizing leaders suited for teaching, governance, and renewal amid scandals or societal pressures. While the process involves consultation via the Congregation for Bishops, the ultimate selections underscore papal emphases on moral authority, evangelization, and ecclesial reform.
The contemporary process for appointing bishops in the U.S. exemplifies authentic Church practice aligned with Christ's mandate, as exercised by current authorities. Bishops are appointed by the Congregation for Bishops following surveys of various Church groups, marking an evolution from ancient methods like acclamation while preserving essential elements of hierarchy and apostolic succession. This structured approach ensures selections fit the Church's mission at a given time, avoiding arbitrary changes driven by scandal or external agendas.
Doctrinally, St. Robert Bellarmine emphasized that those choosing bishops must select men who "excel others in charity," as Christ queried Peter on love before entrusting pastoral care. Popes, as successors of Peter, thus prioritize charity and apostolic witness in appointments, ensuring bishops serve as "vigilant sentinels, courageous prophets, credible witnesses and faithful servants of Christ." This foundation persists, with recent popes like John Paul II calling for bishops whose "sacred power... should be rooted in the moral authority of a life completely shaped by [Christ's] consecration and mission."
Pope Leo XIII (1878–1903) used appointments to advance priorities like unity, social doctrine, and adaptation to American contexts. He confirmed the decrees of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1884) and elevated Archbishop James Gibbons of Baltimore to cardinal in 1886, signaling support for U.S. Catholics amid immigration and labor issues. His favorable stance toward the Knights of Labor (1888), at Gibbons' instance, reflected priorities of worker rights and moral formation over "worldly interest." Leo XIII also addressed Irish-American concerns through elevations and encyclicals, fostering piety and national welfare tied to Catholic morals. These moves prioritized evangelization and social teaching in a growing U.S. Church.
Under John Paul II, appointments emphasized bishops as "teachers of the Faith" for the new evangelization, particularly in the U.S. cultural context. He urged metropolitans to focus on "agents, methods and beneficiaries of evangelization," with bishops as "pillars" building Christ's Body through faith, hope, and love. Appointments like those of future cardinals Timothy Dolan and Joseph Tobin illustrate this: Dolan, appointed Archbishop of Milwaukee (2002) and New York (2009), served as USCCB president (2010–2013), participated in family synods (2014–2015), and joined the conclave electing Francis (2013), reflecting priorities of leadership in evangelization and unity. Tobin, appointed Archbishop of Indianapolis (2012) and Newark (2016), held roles in consecrated life and bishops' dicasteries, advancing renewal in formation and governance.
John Paul II also addressed scandals, calling for bishops' spiritual renewal through "evangelical poverty" and apostolic Tradition, especially post-2002 crises. In 2004 ad limina addresses, he stressed holiness over administrative models that distance pastors from flocks, urging a "reappropriation of the apostolic Tradition" amid "crisis of confidence" from abuse scandals and calls for lay accountability. Appointments thus countered "arbitrary and capricious treatment" critiques by favoring morally authoritative leaders.
These patterns persist into recent pontificates, with appointments signaling priorities like accountability (post-scandals) and cultural engagement. However, the provided sources, primarily from John Paul II's era and earlier, do not detail appointments under Pope Francis or the newly elected Leo XIV (2025), limiting analysis of post-2013 shifts. Earlier documents on deacon formation indirectly highlight broader U.S. concerns like evangelization and social doctrine, which inform episcopal needs. Where sources converge, they affirm papal priorities of holiness, evangelization, and reform through vetted, charity-driven selections. Dissenting views, like calls for structural overhaul post-scandal, are critiqued as unsubstantiated leaps toward lay dominance, prioritizing instead canonical coherence.
In summary, episcopal appointments mirror papal priorities by selecting successors who excel in charity, teach amid cultural challenges, and foster renewal—evident from Leo XIII's social alignments to John Paul II's evangelistic focus. This ensures U.S. bishops advance the Church's mission faithfully.