Pope Leo XIV says he is very disappointed that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1950 to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The pope said that he spoke explicitly with Pritzker about the legislation when the governor visited Rome last month. Pritzker signed the bill Dec. 12, on the Catholic feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

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 Ronald Hicks, head of the Diocese of Joliet in Pope Leon's home state of Illinois, will take over the Archdiocese of New York.

As archbishop, Ronald Hicks will lead the second-largest U.S. archdiocese.