Pope Leo appointed a relatively unknown cleric from Illinois, Bishop Ronald Hicks, to replace Dolan as leader of the nation's second-largest Catholic diocese.

Pope Leo replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan as leader of the Catholic Church in New York, the Vatican announced on Thursday, sidelining a prominent U.S. Church figure in a major shake-up of the country's Catholic leadership.

Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Rev. Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, a native of the Dominican Republic, to succeed Bishop Gerald Barbarito.

Pope Leo has replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan with Bishop Ronald Hicks as the leader of the Catholic Church in New York, marking a significant shift in American Catholic leadership. This transition comes amid financial challenges faced by the archdiocese concerning settlements with abuse survivors.

Pope Leo's selection had spurred optimism that the Church's stance on female deacons might change. That was not to be the case.

The Roman Catholic Church in New York and more than 1,300 accusers on Monday announced they have agreed to mediation to settle sexual abuse claims that could result in one of the largest payouts ever by the church in the United States.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan never backed down from a political scrap, but was quick with a kind word and a sympathetic ear — and even kept a list of people he prayed for. At 75, the retiring leader of the Archdiocese of New York leaves behind a legacy of both compassion and a firm resolve to fight for the teachings of the Catholic Church,