NEW YORK — Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, on behalf of the worldwide family of CNEWA-Pontifical Mission, offers his warm wishes and prayers of solidarity and support for Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks, whose appointment by Pope Leo XIV as archbishop of New York was announced this morning.
“We give thanks to God and offer our prayers and words of support for our new shepherd, Archbishop-designate Hicks, as he prepares to assume the task and mission of service to the people of God throughout the Archdiocese of New York,” said Msgr. Vaccari, who serves as president of CNEWA-Pontifical Mission.
“In addition to his pastoral responsibilities at the helm of the Archdiocese of New York,” Msgr. Vaccari continued, “the archbishop-designate assumes the role of chair of CNEWA’s international Board of Trustees, ex officio, of this special agency founded by Pope Pius XI a century ago in New York to serve the Eastern churches.
“Our entire CNEWA-Pontifical Mission team, throughout the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe, also offers our prayers and thanks to God for the gift of Timothy Cardinal Dolan’s life and for his priestly and episcopal ministries. For nearly 17 years, he has shepherded the diverse people and communities of the archdiocese, and his ministry extended worldwide in his governance of CNEWA as an agency of healing and hope.
“May our Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, continue to bless both men as they continue to witness the Gospel as shepherds of his sheep.”
