New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan has banned marriages between members of the same sex from taking place in Roman Catholic churches.

Dolan, also the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued a decree forbidding the ceremonies from taking place.

“The marital union between one man and one woman was universally accepted by civil law as a constitutive element of human society, which is vital to the human family and to the continuation of the human race,” Dolan wrote in his official statement issued last month.

“In reversal of this tradition, the New York State Legislature recently enacted a law that recognized same-sex union as marriage in the State of New York. This law is irreconcilable with the nature and the definition of marriage as established by Divine law.”

The Staten Island Advance polled reaction to the move.

“It would be wonderful to be able to get married in the Catholic Church but I don't expect it, I don't hope for it and I don't need it because we could get married in a civil setting,” said Rosemary Palladino, an attorney who plans to wed her partner of 38 years.

“The bill was not about making Catholic Churches or other churches perform marriages for same-sex couples. It was about making civil marriage available to same-sex couples, regardless of what religion they follow or don't follow,” she added. “I especially wonder how many of their members approve of the fact that their donations are being used to wage these legal battles.”