The Vatican Press Office has issued the following:

The Holy Father, Benedict XVI, has accepted the resignation from pastoral oversight of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New York (U.S.A.), presented by His Eminence Card. Edward M. EGAN, in conformity with canon 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law.

The Pope has named Metropolitan Archbishop of New York (U.S.A.) H. E. Abp. Timothy M. DOLAN, up to now Archbishop of Milwaukee. [Holy See Press Office] translation Rorate Caeli

He is anticipated to make an appearance along side Cardinal Egan at mass this morning with a press conference to be held later.

John Allen has this take on the pattern developing in Pope Benedict’s Episcopal appointments.

While Pope Benedict XVI’s appointment of Archbishop Timothy Dolan to New York hardly marks a dramatic break with key picks under recent popes, it may confirm an intriguing pattern-within-a-pattern under Benedict when it comes to the most important jobs in the United States.

In a sound-bite, one might call it a choice for “the center-right with a human face.”

In essence, that means leaders who are basically conservative in both their politics and their theology, but also upbeat, pastoral figures given to dialogue. It’s a pattern with across-the-board consequences for both the substance and the style of American Catholicism, and one that could carry particularly interesting implications for relations between church and state in the Age of Obama.

Smile broadly and carry a big stick.