Mayor Zohran Mamdani tried to dismiss criticism Monday about his no-show at Friday’s installation of Archbishop Ronald Hicks at St. Patrick’s Cathedral — stressing that he looked forward to meeting and working with the new leader of Catholics in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island.
Hicks, a Chicago native, officially assumed leadership from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, whose resignation was accepted last year upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, to become the 11th leader of New York’s Archdiocese in a ceremony attended by hundreds of Catholic faithful, clergy, and civic leaders.
Mamdani, who had hosted his first Interfaith Breakfast on the morning of Hicks’ installation, told reporters on Monday, “I wasn’t able to make that event, but I do look forward to sitting down with the cardinal, and I’m so excited, frankly, at his leadership in this city.”
“We see so often, frankly, that New Yorkers do not actually turn to elected officials in moments of need. They are turning to their faith leaders,” he said, adding that he hopes to collaborate closely with Hicks moving forward.
A spokesperson for the Archdiocese confirmed that Hicks and Mamdani have not yet spoken but hope to do so “very soon.”
“The Archbishop was only installed this past Friday; he said in his homily that day that he looks forward to working with government (and business, labor, the arts, etc.) for the common good,” the spokesperson said.
They noted that Cardinal Dolan had previously met with Mamdani both during his mayoral campaign and after he took office.
Hicks told reporters on Thursday ahead of the Mass that he had not yet met or spoken with Mamdani but expressed optimism about future collaboration.
“The new mayor and I have not had the opportunity to speak yet, and I’m sure that I will soon have that opportunity,” Hicks said on Feb. 5. “I look forward to meeting him and getting to know him. What I’d like to do as the Archbishop here is understand that in politics, in government, there are going to be things that we disagree on. There are, but I’d also like to make sure we pay attention to what those things are that we can work together for the common good.”
Though Mamdani congratulated Hicks in a Friday post on X, some Catholic leaders and critics saw his absence as a break from tradition.
William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and a longtime critic of Mamdani, described it as “outrageous” and said the mayor was signaling to Catholics that they are “not welcome.”
“The mayor of New York City traditionally attends the installation of the new archbishop of New York, but Mamdani—who was invited—ghosted the event. The installation began a few hours after the Interfaith Breakfast at the New York Public Library; it is a short walk up Fifth Avenue to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He could easily have been there. Instead, he attended to business as usual,” Donohue said.
The Daily News editorial board, meanwhile, called the mayor’s absence “wrong and frankly rude,” noting that every mayor in recent memory has attended a new archbishop’s investiture.
The Interfaith Breakfast, held at the New York Public Library earlier on Friday, drew about 400 representatives from across the city’s faith communities, though no Catholic clergy spoke as part of the main program. Mamdani noted the gathering as an opportunity to connect with faith leaders across the city.
The installation Mass for Hicks included a golden hammer to open the cathedral doors, a procession of clerics, and the handoff of Cardinal Dolan’s crozier to Hicks.
In his first homily, Hicks emphasized gratitude and service, calling for “a missionary church, not a country club,” and signaling a focus on collaboration with government, business, labor, the arts, and other sectors “for the common good.”
