LGBTQ Catholic Hopes for the New Archbishop of New York

Today’s post is from guest contributor Jason Steidl Jack, a gay Catholic theologian and Assistant Teaching Professor of Religious Studies at St. Joseph’s University in New York. He is the author of  LGBTQ Catholic Ministry: Past and Present, published by Paulist Press.

It might be the biggest Catholic news since the election of Pope Leo in May. On December 18, the Holy Father named Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, as the new Archbishop of New York, one of the most visible and influential ecclesiastical posts in the United States. Hicks will succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who served in that role since 2009. Given Dolan’s long tenure and Hick’s relatively young age of 58, the appointment signals generational change.

Archbishop-elect Ronald Hicks

Commentators note that Hicks’ appointment is part of the Holy Father’s transformational vision for a synodal and missionary church that is close to the poor. Known for his humility, pastoral heart, and missionary service in Latin America, Hicks has been a vocal supporter of immigrants and refugees in the Trump era. It’s hard not to contrast his ministry with that of his predecessor, who frequently stoked the culture wars, feted the rich and famous, and collaborated with partisan media and politicians. Many New York-area Catholics are more than ready for Archbishop Hicks to lead the church toward Pope Francis’ and Pope Leo’s priorities and reforms.

The LGBTQ Catholic community is especially hopeful. Cardinal Dolan was never publicly hostile to LGBTQ Catholic ministries. He acquiesced to the presence of LGBTQ people marching in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and called for the church to conditionally welcome gays and lesbians. 

But behind the scenes was another story. Calls for dialogue were rarely answered, and his chancery intervened when LGBTQ ministries became too public and too proud. For many years LGBTQ Catholics in the Big Apple have longed for an archbishop more in line with Pope Francis’ legacy of hospitality and solidarity with the marginalized.

Cardinal Dolan’s long tenure didn’t stop the growth of queer Catholic communities in a city that is 1/3 Catholic and home to more than 700,000 LGBTQ people. With several parish groups, a vibrant tri-state organization, and an active local chapter of DignityUSA with a rich history of activism, the greater New York City area is one of the richest environments for LGBTQ ministry to thrive. Groups such as Out @ St. Paul, America Media’s Outreach, and DignityNY have been at the forefront of advocacy, service, and mission in recent years. I sometimes joke that you can’t throw a stone in Manhattan without hitting a parish that is open to the gifts that LGBTQ people offer.

This brings us back to New York’s newly-appointed archbishop. When it comes to LGBTQ ministry, it’s hard to find a starker contrast than the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Joliet, where there is only one LGBTQ-friendly parish. This ought to concern LGBTQ Catholics, especially since during Hicks’ five year tenure in Joliet the diocese became known for its queer-adverse policies and practices.

In 2022, Outreach highlighted the diocese’s Human Sexuality Policies for Catholic Schools as an example of “hardened language” that leads to the dehumanization of LGBTQ people. It’s easy to see why. The policy is transphobic, forcing diocesan schools to “interact with students according to their biological sex as based upon physical differences at birth,” and homophobic, dubiously characterizing “‘gay culture” as “opposed to the Church’s teaching, with its often aggressive and immoral lifestyle.”

The Joliet diocese’s recent history of “ministry” to the LGBTQ community is also troubling. A 2025 Marriage and Ministry Resource Guide offers only Courage and EnCourage “for people who experience same-sex attraction and/or gender discordance.” Courage is well known for its repudiation of LGBTQ identity as a gift from God and embrace of disproven conversion therapy (EnCourage is their associated ministry to parents of LGBTQ people.)This is an organization– and language– that most LGBTQ Catholics reject out of hand. In 2024, Bishop Hicks attended and spoke at a large Courage gathering held at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago. Some former members contend that the group’s ideologies inhibit the healthy integration of Catholic spirituality, sexuality, and/or gender. Next year the Diocese of Joliet will also host a series of spiritual retreats based on the work of Dr. Bob Schuchts, the founder of the John Paul II Healing Center whose unethical and queerphobic work has drawn criticism from LGBTQ Catholic advocates.

Queer Catholics must be honest that the misguided policies instituted during Bishop Hicks’ leadership of the Diocese of Joliet have wounded queer people and their relationships with the Body of Christ. The question we now face is whether Hicks will continue this harmful trajectory or shift course.

New leadership roles sometimes have a way of effecting conversion experiences in church leaders. Whether due to the security that comes from a new role, higher expectations for charismatic leadership, the need for fresh approaches in new contexts, or—maybe, the working of the Holy Spirit, newly elevated churchmen often surprise us with their openness to change. Pope Francis’ exercise of papal ministry with LGBTQ people is a powerful recent example of this phenomenon.  Catholics in New York hope that Hicks, like Pope Francis and Pope Leo, will strive to embody the best values of his office through dialogue and pastoral solicitude.

In the years ahead it will be important for queer believers to be present as the archbishop grows in understanding of our community. As Fr. James Martin, SJ rightly points out, bridge building in the church goes both ways: the hierarchy must strive to meet and respect LGBTQ Catholics where they are at, but LGBTQ Catholics must also strive to meet and respect members of the hierarchy where they are at. What can the community of queer believers in New York City do to strengthen our relationship with the archdiocese? How can local ministries share their concerns and needs with the archbishop and other church leaders? These are questions we should consider with prudence.

We must also be open to dialogue and hope. If we come to the table with a chip on our shoulders we may miss out on opportunities to share in our church’s transformation. Honesty matters, but so does grace. Let’s give the new archbishop the benefit of the doubt and seek to connect with his positive priorities. It may take some time to establish a strong relationship, but we should not presume that he will be bound by the policies of his predecessor or his own past. We serve a risen Christ who brings reconciliation amid animosity and life where there was death.

I’m hopeful for the future of LGBTQ ministry in the Archdiocese of New York. There are lively communities and rich traditions that point a way forward. I pray for a church and archbishop who will grow with us.

—Jason Steidl Jack, December 20, 2025

Further reading:

To read the assessments of Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s LGBTQ+ record in New York, see The Advocate’s article, “Notorious anti-LGBTQ+ New York Archbishop Dolan retires — here are his worst moments.”  The article includes opinions of DignityUSA’s Marianne Duddy-Burke and New Ways Ministry’s Francis DeBernardo