Pope Leo XIV awards New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks with special vestment in Rome
Archbishop Ronald Hicks is returning to New York City with a sacred souvenir from a pilgrimage to Rome.
On Monday morning, Pope Leo XIV presented him with a special vestment to symbolize his role as a shepherd to millions of Catholics.
Here's what Archbishop Hicks received
On the day the Catholic Church celebrates two pillars of the faith, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, the pope imposed the pallium on 35 new metropolitan archbishops, including Hicks. The woolen collar, embroidered with six crosses, is an ancient symbol of authority and obligation.
"It says we have a certain responsibility for governance and administration and authority. All of those things come on our shoulders, and at the same time we're called upon to be a shepherd, a pastor who really cares with a shepherd's heart, for the ones we serve," Hicks told CBS News New York's Tony Aiello.
New Jersey native James Checchio also received a pallium from the pope. Checchio is the former bishop of Metuchen, who recently became archbishop of New Orleans.
"He connects people together, very warm, very gracious"
On a slightly laggy Zoom call from Italy's capital city, Hicks said he treasured the chance to spend time with the pope.
"I was able to share with him how how impressed I am with his leadership, grateful for his commitment to Jesus and the Church, and I think I used the line 'You're hitting it out of the park,' a baseball phrase there," Hicks said.
"He has a great memory, he said, 'Oh I hear you recently had dinner with my brother,' and I did," Hicks added. "That's the type of pope we have. He has a great memory. He connects people together, very warm, very gracious."
Dozens of pilgrims from the archdiocese traveled with Hicks. He said he brought many more with him in spirit.
"Your shepherd has been thinking about you praying for you, keeping all your intentions in my heart and bringing those intentions to God," Hicks said.
