Cardinal Timothy Dolan said Sunday that opponents of the White House birth control policy should avoid being "pugnacious," rather than follow the example of embattled media personality Rush Limbaugh.

Limbaugh has come under fire from many public figures after he called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute" for her testimony during a Congressional hearing on mandatory contraception coverage.

The comments have put the host under intense media scrutiny and caused at least seven advertisers to no longer sponsor Limbaugh's program.

Initially, Limbaugh mocked the controversy, repeating his insults against Fluke and even saying that she should have to post a sex tape online if taxpayers are going to "pay for you to have sex."

Limbaugh has since posted a written apology on his website, saying that he "chose the wrong words in [his] analogy of the situation."

Dolan, who presides over New York City, was asked for his take on the situation after Mass on Sunday.

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"Whatever we do, and however strongly we feel, we do it charitably, we do it civilly," the cardinal explained.

Since the Obama administration introduced a policy requiring employers to provide birth control coverage under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, Dolan has been one of the most vocal opponents of the policy.

In January, Dolan chastised the administration for the mandate, saying that the president was forcing American citizens "to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare."

"We bishops are pretty firm in our engagements with government, and the invitation for them to restore religious freedom. And to back off on this unwarranted, unprecedented intrusion into the church," said Dolan on Sunday.

Still, Dolan made it clear that he did not approve of Limbaugh's language.

"We don't judge the motives of other people. We just try, in a confident, peaceful, inviting way, to make our position felt, to invite other people to respect it," said Dolan.