Cardinal Timothy Dolan became one of President Trump's most visible Catholic supporters over the past decade.
But Trump and conservatives just watched that relationship disappear.
And Pope Leo just gave Trump this nasty surprise with his New York appointment.
Pope Leo replaces Trump ally with immigration activist
The Vatican announced Thursday that Pope Leo XIV accepted Cardinal Timothy Dolan's resignation as Archbishop of New York and named Bishop Ronald Hicks to replace him.
Dolan turned 75 in February and submitted his mandatory retirement letter as church law requires.
But Pope Leo could have kept Dolan in place for several more years like other pontiffs have done with influential archbishops.
Instead, the first American Pope made his most significant U.S. appointment by choosing a 58-year-old Chicago native who publicly condemned Trump's immigration policies.
Hicks spent five years in El Salvador running an orphanage program that helped abandoned children across Latin America.¹
The new archbishop endorsed a scathing statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in November that lambasted Trump administration immigration raids.
Hicks wrote the bishops' message "affirms our solidarity with all our brothers and sisters as it expresses our concerns, opposition, and hopes with clarity and conviction."²
He said it reflected "the church's enduring commitment to the Catholic social teaching of human dignity and a call for meaningful immigration reform."³
That's Vatican speak for opposing Trump's border enforcement and mass deportations of illegal aliens.
Trump loses his most prominent Catholic cheerleader
Dolan served as one of Trump's most reliable defenders in the Catholic hierarchy.
The Cardinal prayed at both Trump inaugurations and said the President "takes his Christian faith seriously."⁴
He frequently appeared on Fox & Friends and maintained his own SiriusXM radio show where he defended conservative causes.
Dolan sparked controversy in September when he called slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk "a modern-day St. Paul."⁵
But it cemented his reputation as a leading conservative voice willing to stand with Trump when other Catholic leaders kept their distance.
The Washington Post called Dolan "a prominent conservative who has been supportive of President Donald Trump."⁶
CNN said Dolan maintained "a warmer relationship with President Donald Trump than Pope Francis did."⁷
Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago — a progressive who advised Pope Leo on the appointment — likely pushed for Hicks over any candidate friendly to Trump.
Hicks signals Pope Leo's immigration battle with Trump
The New York archdiocese oversees 2.5 million Catholics across Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and seven counties to the north.⁸
Catholic commentator Michael Sean Winters told CNN that Hicks is "a good listener and bridge builder who will follow Leo's lead."⁹
Translation: expect Hicks to oppose Trump on immigration with the full backing of an American Pope.
Pope Leo has already attacked Trump's border enforcement as "inhuman" while condemning White House foreign policy decisions.¹⁰
Elise Allen, who wrote Pope Leo's biography, said Hicks is "a step to the left of Cardinal Timothy Dolan" and represents the Pope's priority of finding bishops who "fundamentally bring a stance of balance."¹¹
That's code for replacing Trump-friendly conservatives with moderates who'll criticize the President's immigration crackdown.
The timing couldn't be worse for Trump as he ramps up deportations and border enforcement heading into 2026.
Pope Leo just made sure the leader of New York's Catholics will be standing with illegal aliens instead of with the President.
¹ Nicole Winfield, "Pope names fellow Chicagoan as new archbishop of New York," Associated Press, December 18, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Christopher Lamb, "Pope Leo appoints pro-migrant archbishop of New York," CNN, December 18, 2025.
⁵ "Dolan: Charlie Kirk was 'a modern-day St. Paul,'" OSV News, September 22, 2025.
⁶ Chico Harlan, "Pope replaces conservative Cardinal Dolan of New York," Washington Post, December 18, 2025.
⁷ Christopher Lamb, "Pope Leo appoints pro-migrant archbishop of New York," CNN, December 18, 2025.
⁸ Nicole Winfield, "Pope names fellow Chicagoan as new archbishop of New York," Associated Press, December 18, 2025.
⁹ Christopher Lamb, "Pope Leo appoints pro-migrant archbishop of New York," CNN, December 18, 2025.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Ibid.
