Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the top U.S. Catholic prelate, says the
Catholic Church has to make sure that its defense of marriage is not
reduced to an attack on gays.Dolan is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and last month was reputed to have gathered some votes in the Vatican conclave where Pope Francis was eventually elected.
He made his remarks on two morning talk shows last weekend, just days after the Supreme Court heard arguments in two same-sex marriage cases.
Dolan says the church hasn't "been too good at that" and could work on being more welcoming to gays and lesbians.
Dolan, who is archbishop of New York, was blasted by gay marriage opponents for failed lobbying efforts when the state passed gay marriage legislation in 2011.
On Sunday on the ABC News program This Week, he said the church tries its "darnedest to make sure we're not an anti-anybody."
Dolan says he would tell gay men and lesbians that God loves them and they're entitled to friendship. But he says marriage is a union between a man and a woman "where children can come about naturally."
Dolan made similar comments on CBS' Face the Nation.