Mayor Mamdani was wrong and frankly rude to skip Friday’s investiture of the new Catholic archbishop of New York, Ronald Hicks. As leader of the city — the whole city — it is important for the mayor — any mayor — to participate in the major milestones of our varied communities and here Mamdani failed.
A new archbishop is a significant event for New York Catholics and for all New Yorkers, and even all Americans, as the New York archbishop is the de facto leader of the American church.
Mamdani broke new ground with his absence from the ceremony at St. Patrick’s. Every mayor going back as far as we can find has been present for the arrival of a new archbishop. Perhaps Mamdani could have made amends by going to the first mass celebrated by Hicks yesterday. But he didn’t do that either.
And on Thursday, Hicks held a press conference in St. Pat’s and politely responded to a question if he had spoken to the mayor, saying that they had not yet talked, but he looked forward to it.
That is outrageous. It was on Dec. 18 when fellow Chicagoan, Pope Leo XIV, tapped Hicks to take over in New York from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who has served 17 years. That was when Mamdani, as mayor-elect, should have made a congratulatory phone call to Hicks in Joliet, Ill., welcoming him to New York.
And that was the same day that the pope set Feb. 6 for the investiture, so Mamdani had 50 days notice to be there at the cathedral in the center of Manhattan on Fifth Ave. at 50th St.
Mamdani presided at the mayor’s annual prayer breakfast Friday morning at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library, just eight blocks from St. Pats, so he could have attended the investiture in the afternoon.
This is not about Mamdani’s personal faith of being a Muslim. Having the mayor respecting the traditions of others is critical. Proud Jews Ed Koch and Mike Bloomberg were often in the front pews at St. Pats. And even the irreligious Bill de Blasio would join parishioners at the cathedral. So it was a big blunder for Mamdani to not even call Hick or show up at the cathedral.
Hicks’ message of compassion for the needy and to care for and cherish immigrants are in line with what Mamdani wants. They can be, and should be, allies in areas of common agreement.
We know that someone around the mayor carefully keeps track of his days in office, with a sign counting up. Friday was “37 days of a new era.” A new era of what? Rudeness? Disrespect? Ignorance?
When she was running for president in 2024, Kamala Harris made a big mistake in declining Dolan’s invitation to join President Trump in a bipartisan fashion for the annual Al Smith Dinner to support the good work of Catholic charities aiding kids. Mamdani should not follow her bad example. He should rent a white tie tux and be up on the dais every fall for the next four years. The next dinner is Oct. 15, a Thursday, at the Waldorf. See you there, Mr. Mayor.
