ROME and NEW YORK -- Pope Leo XIV appointed on Thursday Bishop Ronald A. Hicks as archbishop of New York, moving a fellow Chicagoan to one of the highest Catholic posts in the United States.

Pope Leo has named Bishop Aldon Ronald Hicks as the next archbishop of New York. Bishop Hicks, who - like the pope - is from the Chicago area and served in Latin America, will lead one of the Roman Catholic Church's most populous and important postings in the United States.

The list spans artists like Rosalía and Bad Bunny, actors such as Jennifer Lawrence, and cultural icons like Michelle Obama and Venus Williams.

Pope Leo XIV enjoyed a special Christmas concert this week dedicated to him by students of the Paul VI Pontifical School in Castel Gandolfo.

Pope Leo XIV says peace is not only possible but necessary. In his first peace message issued Thursday, Leo blasted the “irrationality” of nuclear deterrence and the weaponization of faith in modern political discourse.

Pope Leo on Thursday decried political leaders who invoke religious beliefs to justify conflicts or nationalist policies, calling that a form of blasphemy, or a serious sin that disrespects or insults God.