Cardinal Timothy Dolan steps down as archbishop of New York after 17 years, with Bishop Ronald Hicks appointed as his successor following Vatican approval.

Pope Leo XIV accepted Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s resignation today, ending his 16-year leadership of the New York Archdiocese as he steps down at the customary retirement age of 75.

Earlier on Thursday, Dolan introduced the 58-year-old Hicks at a news conference at St. Patrick's, saying, "St. Nicholas has left us an early Christmas gift in the appointment by Pope Leo XIV of our new archbishop, Ronald Hicks."

Bishop Hicks addressed media at St. Patrick’s Cathedral alongside outgoing Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who turned 75 earlier this year.

Pope Leo XIV has made a significant U.S. appointment by naming Bishop Ronald Hicks as the next archbishop of New York.

Pope Leo has appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks to replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a friend of President Donald Trump who has served in the position since 2009, as New York’s newest archbishop, a major shake-up in the country’s Catholic leadership that appears to continue the pontiff’s pushback against Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown.

The appointment of Bishop Ronald A. Hicks is expected to bring a markedly different leadership style to New York’s archdiocese.

From where he grew up to his early years in ministry, here's what to know about Ronald Hicks as he succeeds Cardinal Timothy Dolan in New York.