New York’s new archbishop wasted no time in declaring war on Gov. Paterson’s push to legalize gay marriage in the state.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan vowed before his installation yesterday that he will work with the state’s other Catholic bishops to defeat the legislation Paterson is expected to unveil today.
“You can bet I would be active and present and, I hope, articulate in this particular position,” Dolan said at a press conference.
That puts him on a collision course with Paterson, who has been criticized by gay activists for dragging his heels on the issue of same-sex marriage.
Paterson, who attended Dolan’s installation, declined comment on Dolan’s remarks. On Tuesday he said he was ready to reintroduce gay-marriage legislation that died in Albany two years ago. But Dolan made clear he was ready to rally support on an issue that goes to the heart of Catholic orthodoxy.
“You’ll find I don’t shy away from those things. I wouldn’t sidestep them,” he said. “You could expect me to articulate that with all the clarity . . . I can muster.”
State Sen. Ruben Diaz (R-Bronx), a foe of gay marriage, said it was “disrespectful” of Paterson to introduce the legislation the same week as Dolan’s installation. Diaz, who is also a minister, organized a meeting today of opponents of same-sex nuptials to plot strategy. He said he was informing Hispanics, Catholics, evangelicals and others of their options to prevent the bill’s passage.
Paterson’s bill is expected to be the same one that was passed by the Assembly in 2007 but died in the Senate, which was then controlled by Republicans.
Gay-marriage advocates say now is the time to push the issue in Albany because the Democrats have a two-vote majority in the Senate and there is momentum gained from the legalizing of gay marriage in Vermont and Iowa last week.
On Tuesday, Paterson said “the timing was always right” to reintroduce the bill.
“It’s just who is willing to take that step, and I am,” Paterson said. “I think it is, as other states are showing, the only ethical way to treat people who want to live together in peace under the civil law.”
Last week, a Quinnipiac University poll showed 41 percent of the state’s voters support same-sex marriage, up from 35 percent almost two years earlier. One-third said gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions but not marry, and 19 percent said there should be no legal recognition.