Backlash Against NYC Mayor Over Archbishop Ceremony Absence

New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani has recently come under fire for missing the installation ceremony of the city’s new Catholic Archbishop Ronald Hicks at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This event, taking place on Friday, marks the first time in decades a mayor has not attended such a significant occasion.

The New York Daily News’s editorial team criticized Mamdani, stating that his absence was disrespectful. They emphasized the importance for a mayor to partake in major community milestones, suggesting that Mamdani failed in this regard.

The editorial highlighted the installation as an important event not just for New York’s Catholics but for all New Yorkers and Americans, noting that the archbishop is seen as a significant figure in the American church. The newspaper remarked on the unusual nature of the mayor’s absence, considering the tradition of past mayors attending these ceremonies.

“I think it’s quite striking,” they noted, “that all previous mayors have attended the arrivals of new archbishops.” It was suggested that perhaps Mamdani could have compensated for his absence by attending Hicks’s first Mass, but he did not do that either.

In comments about Mamdani’s absence, Hicks mentioned he hadn’t spoken to the mayor yet but looked forward to it. The Daily News expressed frustration at Mamdani not initiating communication, pointing out the ample opportunity he had to do so since Hicks’s nomination was made back in December.

Interestingly, even though the mayor attended a prayer breakfast just a ten-minute walk away from the ceremony, the editorial suggested he could have made time for both events. “What is this new era of his? Rudeness? Ignorance?” they questioned.

The paper further compared Mamdani’s actions to former Vice President Kamala Harris’s missed opportunity to attend a significant event with former Archbishop Timothy Dolan, urging him to make better choices going forward.

Critics from the New York Post also weighed in, highlighting Mamdani as the first mayor in almost a century to skip such an installation, labeling it a significant miss that disrespected the Catholic community in the city.

City Hall later indicated that Mamdani’s calendar conflicted with the ceremony, offering a deputy mayor in his stead. Former Mayor Eric Adams chimed in, emphasizing the essential role of faith communities in New York and welcoming Archbishop Hicks.