Pope Leo taps Bishop Ronald Hicks to succeed Cardinal Dolan

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Pope Leo XIV has named Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, to win retiring Timothy Cardinal Dolan arsenic archbishop of New York.

Dolan was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI successful 2009 and led the archdiocese for 16 years.

The Vatican said Thursday greeting that Pope Leo had officially accepted Dolan's resignation.

About Bishop Hicks

Pope Leo is from Illinois, and helium has tapped a chap Illinois autochthonal to pb the archdiocese of New York.

Hicks, 58, and Pope Leo person overmuch successful common. They were some calved and raised successful suburban Chicago, with Hicks being calved successful Harvey and raised successful South Holland. Both men besides talk fluent Spanish aft spending years ministering to the mediocre successful South America and Central America.

Hicks graduated from seminary successful 1985 and went connected to survey doctrine astatine Loyola University Chicago earlier getting his master's grade successful divinity astatine the University of St. Mary of the Lake. He was ordained successful 1994.

In 2005, Hicks moved from Chicago to El Salvador, wherever helium served for 5 years arsenic determination manager of an enactment dedicated to caring for thousands of orphaned and abandoned children.

In 2020, Hicks was named arsenic the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois.

Cardinal Dolan submitted his resignation earlier this year

Dolan turned 75 successful February, and was required to taxable his resignation to the Vatican. At the time, Dolan estimated helium would stay successful his station for astir six to 8 months portion the Holy See appointed his successor.

Popes sometimes let bishops to stay successful their station for months oregon adjacent years aft they taxable their resignation. By replacing Dolan earlier his 76th birthday, Pope Leo is exercising his prerogative to signifier the enactment of a cardinal archdiocese with his preferred candidate.

Dolan has served arsenic archbishop of New York since 2009, leading astir 2.8 cardinal Catholics. For the past 16 years, Cardinal Dolan has been a prominent, charismatic fig and a starring dependable for Catholicism successful the United States. He led the Archdiocese done the COVID pandemic and galore hard decisions, including selling assets to money a colony for victims of clergyman enactment abuse, closure of galore Catholic schools, and realignment of parishes which resulted successful the closure of immoderate churches.

Cardinal Dolan lauded by person of Catholic League

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, said Dolan has been a compassionate defender of religion teaching and a warmhearted leader, adding helium wished the Pope would support Dolan successful the relation a small longer.

"To capable the shoes of Cardinal Dolan, bully luck to the caller archbishop of New York," Donohue said. "Cardinal Dolan ... is surely loved by New Yorkers, and I don't mean conscionable by Catholics. I mean by non-Catholics arsenic well. He's 1 of the astir courageous and honorable priests I've ever met successful my life."

Dolan has said, erstwhile his resignation is accepted, he'll proceed to service the religion arsenic portion of his vow of obedience.

"I find obedience liberating. People say, 'What are you going to do?' I don't truly know. It ain't my decision. You conscionable say, 'Jesus, I spot successful thee. And, Holy Father, I spot successful you,'" Dolan said astatine the time.

After helium retires, Dolan volition stay a Cardinal and tin ballot successful a conclave until helium turns 80.

New Yorkers respond to Cardinal Dolan's departure

Parishioners successful New York City reacted Wednesday nighttime to the thought of a aboriginal without Dolan arsenic Archbishop of New York.

"When helium gives a sermon, you consciousness similar he's speaking to you personally," Brooklyn nonmigratory Theresa Start said. "He's wonderful. I'll miss him."

"I deliberation he's a large guy, and he's down to earth, precise friendly," tourer Bill Moran said.

"We emotion him, and we privation him the best," Staten Island nonmigratory Don Goller said.

"I'm looking guardant toward a caller chapter," Bronx nonmigratory Lana German said.

"Maybe get immoderate caller ideas and different idiosyncratic successful that volition hopefully bring radical together," Upper Manhattan nonmigratory Migdalia Quinones said.

Meanwhile, attorneys representing more than 75 alleged kid enactment maltreatment survivors who filed claims against the Archdiocese released a statement, saying, successful part:

"Cardinal Dolan's resignation volition not halt our pursuit of answers and requests to depose him, nor volition we let a crippled of diocesan philharmonic chairs to basal successful the mode of justness for survivors. True accountability requires disclosure, cooperation, and justice, not a quiescent exit and attempts to walk the subordinate to the adjacent Cardinal. As this section closes connected the Archdiocese of New York, we telephone connected the adjacent Cardinal to wantonness the ADNY's run of secrecy and enactment with survivors to guarantee they person justness for the crimes committed against them and that this appalling maltreatment ne'er happens again."