Cardinal Timothy Dolan has said that
New York Republican leaders “burned” the Roman Catholic Church on
the issue of gay marriage.
In January, Dolan was elevated to
cardinal during a ceremony in Rome. The 61-year-old Dolan, as
president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB), has led Catholic opposition to gay marriage laws in the
United States.
With the help of four Senate
Republicans, New York became the sixth state to legalize gay marriage
last year.
“We got burned last year when we were
told the redefinition of marriage didn't have much of a chance –
and, of course, it did,” Dolan told the New
York Daily News.
“Our Senate leaders, we highly
appreciate them being with us all along,” he explained. “When
they kind of assured us it didn't have much of a chance – not that
we let up – but we probably would have been much more vigorous and
even more physically present if we knew there was a chance.”
Dolan, who was attending a conference
across the country when the final tally was taken, added: “We got a
little stung, and it could be as much our fault as anyone else's.”
(Related: Bishop
Timothy Dolan wants Obama to push the reset button on gay marriage.)