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Bishop Aldon Ronald Hicks has been named the next archbishop of New York by Pope Leo.
Bishop Hicks, who shares a Chicago-area background with the Pope and has served in Latin America, will now lead one of the Roman Catholic Church’s most significant and populous archdioceses in the United States.
The 58-year-old succeeds Cardinal Timothy Dolan, 75, who is retiring after being considered a conservative figure with close ties to former President Donald Trump. Bishop Hicks expressed his acceptance of the appointment, announced Thursday, with “an open heart,” while Cardinal Dolan called it “an early Christmas gift” for New Yorkers.
Last month, Bishop Hicks joined fellow bishops in condemning the Trump administration’s immigration-related arrests as part of its mass deportation efforts.
Bishop Hicks’ early life and pastoral trajectory bear striking similarities to Pope Leo’s. He was raised in South Holland, a short distance from Pope Leo’s Dolton neighborhood in suburban Chicago.
While Pope Leo served as a missionary in Peru for two decades, Bishop Hicks worked at an orphanage in El Salvador from 2005 to 2010, according to a biography from the New York archdiocese. Pope Francis appointed Hicks as bishop of Joliet in 2020.
Like the Pope, Bishop Hicks has been vocal regarding his concerns for immigrants.
“Deeply rooted in our Gospel tradition of loving our neighbor, this letter affirms our solidarity with all our brothers and sisters as it expresses our concerns, opposition, and hopes with clarity and conviction,” he stated, referencing a joint letter from U.S. bishops expressing concerns about the situation facing immigrants in the United States.
“It is grounded in the Church’s enduring commitment to the Catholic social teaching of human dignity and a call for meaningful immigration reform,” he added.
The Trump administration previously conducted large-scale immigration arrests in the Chicago area, leading to confrontations between federal agents and protesting residents.
The bishops’ letter underscores the challenges churches face in responding to immigration enforcement actions affecting their congregations.
According to a report by the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference, the majority of individuals at risk of deportation are Christians, with Catholics comprising 61% of the at-risk population.
Bishop Hicks will depart his role as bishop of Joliet for St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan, where he will lead 2.5 million Catholics in the nation’s largest city.
His appointment follows Cardinal Dolan’s announcement a week prior that the archdiocese will establish a $300 million fund to settle claims of clergy sex abuse, after serving New York City for approximately 16 years.
“As a church, we can never rest in our efforts to prevent abuse, to protect children and to care for survivors,” the incoming archbishop stated at a news conference. “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.”
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