Last month, Leo endorsed a rare statement from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that heavily criticised the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policies toward undocumented migrants.
He said the statement “affirms our solidarity with all our brothers and sisters as it expresses our concerns, opposition and hopes with clarity and conviction.
“It is grounded in the church’s enduring commitment to the Catholic social teaching of human dignity and a call for meaningful immigration reform.”
In an event at Manhattan’s St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dolan said, “I already love [Hicks] and appreciate him and trust him.
“Is there sadness in my heart? Sure, because I love the archdiocese in New York. That sadness is mitigated by the gift [of Hicks’ arrival]”.
Hicks quipped that he had the necessary diplomatic skills to manage the culinary and sporting rivalry between his native Chicago and New York.
“Potentially my first controversial statement, I’m a Cubs fan, and I love deep-dish pizza,” he said.
“That said, I want you to know that I’m going to remain a loyal Cubs fan. However, I am going to start rooting for the New York sports teams, and I already love your pizza.”
He noted that his childhood home was just 14 blocks from that of Leo, who was born Robert Prevost. However, they did not meet until last year.
“In my 31 years of priesthood, I was formed in Chicago,” Hicks said.
‘Great affinity’
Hicks spent five years of ministry in El Salvador, heading a church-run orphanage programme that operated across nine Latin American and Caribbean countries. Leo spent two decades in service in Peru.
Hicks also served in several parishes in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Dolan, a ruddy-faced extrovert with Irish-American roots, has served in New York since 2009. He has been a cardinal since 2012.
A theological conservative fiercely opposed to abortion, Dolan sparked controversy in September by comparing the murdered conservative political activist Charlie Kirk to a “modern-day St Paul”.
Abuse challenge
Dolan oversaw the fallout from a major sexual abuse scandal in New York.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the archdiocese announced the creation of a US$300 million fund to compensate victims of sexual abuse who had filed complaints against the church.
At the time, Dolan said that a “series of very difficult financial decisions” were made, including layoffs within the archdiocese and a 10% reduction of its operating budget.
Hicks is no stranger to managing the fallout of the church’s abuse scandal. The Joliet diocese was criticised under his predecessors for its handling of paedophile priests.
The scandal was “something that is never going to be behind us”, Hicks told Vatican News.
– Agence France-Presse