Pope Leo XIV Ousts Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Appoints Ronald A. Hicks As Archbishop Of New York

Cardinal Timothy Dolan has stepped aside and Bishop Ronald A. Hicks has been named his successor in a pope-appointed leadership change for New York.

“Illinois Bishop Ronald A”

ABC News

Multiple outlets report that Dolan's resignation was accepted because he reached the Church's retirement age of 75.

ABC News

Hicks, a Chicago-born priest and the current bishop of Joliet, has been selected to lead the Archdiocese of New York, with an installation set for Feb. 6.

Coverage highlights Dolan's long tenure since 2009 and Hicks's background in Chicago and Joliet as central facts of the transition.

Coverage emphasizes Hicks's pastoral résumé and Chicago formation.

Outlets note he was born in Chicago and ordained in 1994.

ABC7 Chicago

They report he served in El Salvador and elsewhere in Latin America and holds advanced theological training.

Reports describe him as fluent in Spanish and experienced in parish work and international charity programs.

He is portrayed as pastorally experienced and attentive to immigrant communities.

Reaction in New York and beyond is broadly positive in these accounts.

“Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks as the next archbishop of New York following the resignation of Timothy Cardinal Dolan NEW YORK (WABC) --In a restructuring of the leadership of the American Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, as the next archbishop of New York following the formal resignation of Timothy Cardinal Dolan”

ABC7 New York

Reporters note a warm public farewell for Dolan and endorsements for Hicks from clergy and interfaith leaders.

Coverage quotes local bishops and community figures praising Dolan's outreach and welcoming Hicks's arrival, and some pieces add human-interest details such as Hicks's continuing fondness for the Chicago Cubs and jokes about learning to love New York pizza.

Several outlets underline the administrative and legal challenges Hicks will inherit, citing the archdiocese's large abuse compensation effort and noting that significant settlement funds have been set aside.

Coverage also varies on the archdiocese's scale and resources: some articles report about 2.8 million Catholics, while at least one source gives a markedly smaller figure and a specific land area.

Blaze Media

Practical details and the reporting record differ across outlets: some pieces give an installation date and say Dolan will remain as apostolic administrator until then, while others report more conversational fare (farewell scenes, sports jokes) or provide only minimal/no article text.

“Pope Leão 14 decided to replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan as archbishop in New York, sidelining a prominent figure of the Church in the United States in a major overhaul of the country’s Catholic leadership”

Folha de S.Paulo

That leaves a mix of administrative facts, human-interest color, and some source gaps in the public record as reported.

Folha de S.Paulo