Commie Mayor Skips Historic Ritual – Century Tradition BROKEN!

A mayor can skip a Mass, but he can’t skip the message it sends.

Quick Take

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani missed Archbishop Ronald Hicks’ installation at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Feb. 9, 2026, breaking a near-century civic tradition.
The archbishop projected calm and collaboration, while Catholic advocates framed the absence as a deliberate snub to roughly 2.5 million city Catholics.
Mamdani hosted an Interfaith Breakfast the same morning nearby, then offered public congratulations and promised partnership after the ceremony.
The early controversy tests whether Mamdani’s “interfaith” brand includes old-school respect for legacy institutions, not just new coalitions.

The empty seat at St. Patrick’s became the headline

Zohran Mamdani took office just over a month ago, and already he’s managed something no modern New York City mayor has done: miss the installation of a new Archbishop of New York. Ronald Hicks, a 58-year-old Chicago native named the 11th archbishop after Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s retirement, was installed Feb. 9, 2026 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The mayor was invited, the cathedral sat a short walk away, and the absence landed like a statement.

Supporters of tradition read the moment the way New Yorkers read everything: as a signal about who matters. In city politics, symbolism counts because it travels faster than policy. A mayor showing up says, “This institution is part of the civic fabric.” A mayor skipping says, “It’s optional.” When the institution serves millions and anchors neighborhoods through schools, charities, and parishes, “optional” doesn’t feel neutral to the people who rely on it.

Tradition wasn’t about theology; it was about citycraft

The custom of mayors attending installations has never required a mayor to be Catholic, or even religious. It’s an old municipal habit, like attending a borough president’s big event or standing with first responders after a crisis. Reporting traced it back at least to 1939, when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia attended Archbishop Francis Spellman’s ceremony, and every recent mayor followed suit. That continuity matters to older voters because it suggests the city still recognizes pillars that predate any administration.

That’s why critics called the miss “rude,” not merely “different.” New York runs on courtesies that look small until they’re withdrawn. Mayors regularly show up at events they don’t fully endorse because governing a pluralistic city means honoring constituencies you didn’t invent. From a conservative, common-sense standpoint, the baseline expectation isn’t ideological alignment; it’s basic respect for a major community and a major institution that has buried New Yorkers, educated kids, and fed families for generations.

Interfaith optics collided with Catholic reality

Mamdani didn’t vanish from the public schedule that morning. He hosted an Interfaith Breakfast at the New York Public Library, quoted scripture, and emphasized faith as a force in civic life. Yet accounts of the program noted the missing connective tissue: he didn’t mention Hicks’ installation even though it happened the same day, and Catholic clergy reportedly didn’t speak in the main program. That contrast—broad “interfaith” language paired with silence about the city’s largest single denomination—sharpened suspicions.

The timeline only intensified the reaction. The installation Mass came later the same day, and Mamdani’s team pointed to other obligations, including a prayer breakfast and a weather-related press conference. Critics saw a scheduling explanation that didn’t match the geography: the library and St. Patrick’s sit close enough that New Yorkers measure the distance in blocks, not miles. When proximity is that tight, absence reads less like conflict and more like choice.

Hicks offered a governing posture; the mayor offered a tweet

Ronald Hicks handled the situation like a leader who expects disagreements and wants results anyway. Before the ceremony, he spoke optimistically about meeting the mayor soon and focusing on “the common good” even when views diverge. That posture fits a church leader stepping into New York’s constant churn: keep the door open, keep the mission clear, and don’t let politics set the church’s emotional thermostat. It also deprives critics of the easy “feud” storyline.

Mamdani’s response leaned modern: after the ceremony, he posted congratulations and spoke of shared commitment to human dignity and collaboration. The next day, he dismissed the criticism and said he looked forward to sitting down with Hicks, emphasizing the role of faith leaders during crises. That messaging may calm some observers, but it doesn’t erase the original visual. In politics, showing up is a form of currency; a tweet is a receipt.

Why this matters to Catholics who don’t want a culture war

Plenty of New York Catholics don’t wake up craving another political fight. They worry about schools, crime, housing costs, and whether their parish can keep the lights on. They also notice when leaders treat their institutions as background scenery rather than partners. Advocacy groups like the Catholic League framed the miss as part of a pattern, calling it the mayor’s “third” stiffing of Catholics. That specific claim remains an assertion, but the broader frustration has real fuel: the mayor didn’t come when it counted.

From a conservative lens, this isn’t about demanding special treatment; it’s about equal civic regard. A mayor who expects religious communities to help with homelessness, addiction, and immigrant integration can’t treat their landmark moments like optional photo ops. If Mamdani wants to govern as a unifier, the test won’t be another carefully worded statement. It will be whether he can show up—physically and consistently—when the city’s oldest, largest communities mark a new chapter.

Mayor Mamdani Becomes First NYC Leader to Skip Archbishop Installation in Almost a Century
https://t.co/921u3V7iWZ

— Townhall Updates (@TownhallUpdates) February 10, 2026

The open loop is simple: Mamdani and Hicks still haven’t had their first real sit-down, at least publicly. When that meeting happens, it will signal whether this was a one-day miscalculation or the start of a colder relationship between City Hall and an archdiocese that touches Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. New York forgives a lot, but it rarely forgets a first impression—especially when the chair is empty and everyone saw it.