A Roman Catholic leader says the Obama administration has become a serial violator of the Constitution.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, soon to be ordained by Pope Benedict as a cardinal, says the White House has been on the wrong side of the Constitution several times.

The most recent is the administration's requirement that church-affiliated institutions cover free birth control for their employees.

When asked whether he disagreed with President Obama's mandate, following a lecture in New York Tuesday night, Dolan said, 'You bet we got a disagreement.'

"It's not about contraception. It's about the right of conscience," he told reporters right before Obama gave his State of the Union Address.

"The government doesn't have the right to butt into the internal governance and teachings of the church," Dolan said. "This is not a Catholic issue, it's an American issue. We're strong on this issue of conscience, and that's what's at stake here."

Dolan released a video urging Catholics to protest the requirement.

The church opposes contraception and considers morning after pills the equivalent of abortion.

Legal experts predict a court battle between the diocese and the government over the requirement.

Read Dolan's editorial posted on the Wall Street Journal's Opinion page online.