“So, anyway, I think our cathedral did well,” he said, before suggesting that secular media outlets have misrepresented the cathedral’s role in the funeral. “We have a lot of misunderstanding. Why in the world are people out there still believing what the secular press reports, is beyond me.”

Dolan pointed to a statement from Father Enrique Salvo, the pastor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. ... Dolan called that statement “excellent.”

“Why people still think the cathedral purposefully did that; well, a lot of people always want to believe the worst, and they don’t like us anymore than the protesters did in the cathedral,” the cardinal said. “But who knows?”