(LifeSiteNews) — A Monday report suggested that Pope Leo XIV plans to appoint Bishop Ronald A. Hicks, a close ally of heterodox Cardinal Blase Cupich, as the next archbishop of New York, replacing Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
The rumor, first reported by leftist Latin American news outlet Religión Digital, suggests that Pope Leo is expected to officially name Hicks, the current bishop of Joliet, Illinois, as Cardinal Dolan’s successor as early as Tuesday, December 16. Hicks, 58, has deep ties to Cupich, having served under him for years in the Archdiocese of Chicago and even being consecrated a bishop by the cardinal, who has become notorious for contradicting Church teaching on same-sex “marriage” and gender ideology, downplaying abortion, and his staunch opposition to Catholic tradition.
🚨 NEW ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK LEAKED? 🚨
According to Latin American leftist Catholic outlet Religión Digital, Pope Leo XIV is poised to name Bishop Ronald A. Hicks – a close ally and protégé of Cardinal Blase Cupich – as the next Archbishop of New York replacing Cardinal… pic.twitter.com/5s7TneAp91— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) December 15, 2025
Hicks was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1994 and has spent most of his priesthood in roles within the archdiocese. He was appointed as its vicar general by Cupich in 2015, serving in that role until he was consecrated an auxiliary bishop by the cardinal in 2018.
Hicks was named bishop of Joliet by Pope Francis in 2020 and, in 2024, became the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations.
In 2021, Hicks, along with Cupich, was among the 68 bishops who signed a letter asking the USCCB to drop the issue of barring pro-abortion politicians from receiving the Eucharist. In 2024, he was among the Illinois bishops who forbade parishes within his diocese from promoting a petition for a state ballot advisory question aimed at legally requiring parental consent for medical interventions such as abortions and “sex changes” for minors.
Hicks was also notably silent when Cupich planned to honor radically pro-abortion Senator Dick Durbin with a lifetime achievement earlier this year. The Joliet bishop, however, has spoken out on the issue of immigration. In November, after the USCCB issued its first “special message” in over a decade denouncing the Trump administration’s mass deportation of illegal immigrants, Hicks released a statement emphasizing that the “powerful and unified” message affirmed the bishop’s “solidarity with all our (immigrant) brothers and sisters.”
READ: US bishops denounce Trump’s deportations in first ‘Special Message’ in over a decade
It’s worth noting that Cardinal Dolan just turned 75 in February, and while the Church requires bishops to submit their resignations at that age, it is customary to allow cardinals to continue in their role until they reach age 80. Pope Leo accepting Dolan’s resignation now would appear to indicate the pontiff is unhappy with his leadership.
The archbishop of New York has been heavily criticized by American leftists for repeatedly expressing support for President Trump and, in recent months, for referring to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “modern day St. Paul.”
On the other hand, Dolan has allowed several sacrilegious, pro-LGBT “pride Masses” to be celebrated in the archdiocese and infamously served as the grand marshal for the 2015 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the first that allowed a homosexual activist group to participate.
