Cardinal Timothy Dolan\u2019s years as archbishop of New York were defined by a willingness to fight cultural battles, a knack for political diplomacy and an ability to charm even those who strongly disagreed with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou bet we got a disagreement,\u201d he told Fox & Friends in 2012, when he was a leading voice pushing back against the Obama administration over mandated health coverage for contraception.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government does not have the right to butt into the internal governance and teaching of the church,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dolan was vocal in opposing same-sex marriage and expanded abortion rights, taking his case to the halls of power in Albany.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel a high responsibility to speak out for the baby in the womb. And whenever we see the abortion license being strengthened or consolidated or expanded, we get more and more worried,\u201d Dolan once told lawmakers.<\/p>\n But Dolan also charmed political leaders, always managing to disagree without being disagreeable.<\/p>\n As he told NY1 in a 2010 interview, he preferred to lobby privately before going public, saying this about then-Mayor Micheal Bloomberg.<\/p>\n \u201cWill there be issues? There will, I\u2019m sure. And he knows it too. But boy oh boy, at least we\u2019re on each other\u2019s rolodexes, or at least we know how to get in touch with each other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n When Mayor Bill de Blasio took office in 2014, the two forged a close partnership.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are radiant about the emphasis that he\u2019s put on universal pre-K,\u201d he said during a press conference.<\/p>\n They worked together on education and affordable housing. Dolan also helped try to defuse tensions in the wake of Eric Garner\u2019s death at the hands of police.<\/p>\n He earned not only the respect but the affection of elected leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a good guy,\u201d Bloomberg once said of him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a lot of fun to hang around with, I have to tell you,\u201d de Blasio said during his tenure.<\/p>\n And Dolan served as a political peacemaker; at the annual Al Smith charity dinner, a traditional stop on the presidential campaign trail, Dolan made Mitt Romney and Barack Obama \u2014 and even Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump \u2014 appear, at least briefly, to be old friends.<\/p>\n But Dolan couldn\u2019t avoid partisan politics, drawing criticism when he agreed to appear at the 2012 Republican National Convention; he subsequently accepted an invitation from the Democrats.<\/p>\n He also delivered prayers at both of President Donald Trump\u2019s inaugurations.<\/p>\n Their friendly relationship \u2014 and Dolan\u2019s regular appearances on Fox News \u2014 rankled some liberal Catholics, even as he remained embraced by New York\u2019s left-leaning political class as a happy warrior with an irrepressible laugh.<\/p>\n\n