Pope Leo appoints pro-migrant archbishop of New York, signaling Church's more robust approach to Trump [View all]

Pope Leo has appointed a new archbishop of New York who has first-hand experience of countries from where millions have emigrated to the United States, signaling the potential for a more outspoken approach from bishops on immigration.

The pope has chosen 58-year-old bishop Ronald Hicks to lead the church in New York, an appointment that comes at a time when the Trump administration has been ramping up its anti-immigration policies to which the Catholic Church in the US has responded with more vocal criticism.

Leo’s nomination of Hicks is his most significant appointment to the church in the United States since his election, with the archbishop of New York holding an important position on the national stage both in the church and across the US. Archbishops of New York are normally made cardinals, and Hicks can expect even greater scrutiny at a time when the Catholic Church is led by its first American pope.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/18/us/ronald-hicks-pope-archbishop-new-york-intl