Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan sat for a rare interview Thursday with NY 1 News in which he said that he was “grateful” the marriage equality bill failed in the New York state senate last year. He also said that gays and lesbians should not be allowed to march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.

“The archbishop would not shy away from controversial issues,” said reporter Roma Torre. “On the subject of gay marriage, Dolan said he was grateful that the state senate last year defeated a same-sex marriage bill. He also said he has no plan to support the gay and lesbian community in its fight to carry banners in next month’s St. Patrick's Day parade.”

Dolan was named to lead the archdiocese last year and for the most part kept a low profile in the first year of his appointment.
 
Watch the full interview here. The conversation on gay rights issues begins around the 7:45 mark.