RELIGION

Timothy Michael Dolan

Cardinal

As Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Dolan spoke early and plainly after Oct. 7, calling Hamas's violence what it was and refusing to soften the reality of Jewish suffering. In 2025, he made that commitment unmistakable. He wrote "The Evils of Antisemitism" for The Free Press in March, declaring that "Jew-hatred and Christianity are incompatible" and warning that hatred of Jews is "a grave sin, the work of Satan himself." In September, he organized "Stand Up Sunday" at St. Patrick's Cathedral—a Mass uniting Catholic and Jewish leaders to denounce antisemitism nearly two years after the attacks. Rabbi Joseph Potasnik called him "a great friend" and "an honorary Jew." When Pope Leo XIV accepted Dolan's retirement in December (he'd turned 75 earlier in the year), the American Jewish Committee published a tribute thanking him for always showing up—from Israel trips with hostage families in 2024 to speaking out as antisemitism exploded across New York. From the pulpit to cable news, Dolan made the bond between Jews and Christians something lived, not theoretical.