Braving heavy winter wind and rain, scores of clergymen huddled on the steps of City Hall yesterday to protest a judge’s ruling in favor of making same-sex marriage legal in New York City.

A nonprofit clergy organization, the City Action Coalition, held a Valentine’s Day press conference that brought together “a diverse group of metro New York area clergy selectively representing thousands of congregations,” including the City Covenant Coalition, the Church of God in Christ, the Hispanic church association Conlico, Concerts of Prayer, Faith Alliance, Mission Brooklyn, “African-American clergy and elected officials, supporting Jewish clergy, and more,” in the words of the Central Baptist Church’s pastor, Michael Faulkner, who spoke at the conference.

“Today, with one voice, we renounce Judge Ling-Cohan’s recent decision to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of New York,” Mr. Faulkner said. Justice Doris Ling-Cohan of the state Supreme Court at Manhattan ruled February 4 that the state constitution requires New York’s city clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The founder and director of the City Action Coalition, Joseph Mattera, said his organization held the press conference “to galvanize the Judeo-Christian community” in support of traditional marriage. “We didn’t come out here to be anti-gay. We’re here to be pro-marriage,” he said, adding that his group chose Valentine’s Day for the event because of its association with traditional marriage.

The ministers chose the steps of City Hall to draw the attention of the mayoral candidates, Mr. Mattera said.

One of those candidates, a Queens Republican, Thomas Ognibene, attended the press conference. Mr. Ognibene, former minority leader of the City Council, is the only one of the seven candidates for mayor who has opposed the legalization of gay marriage, and the City Action Coalition announced at the conference that it will urge members of its congregations to withhold their votes from any mayoral candidate who wants to make same-sex marriage legal.

While Mr. Ognibene did not speak at the press conference – he said later he did not want the event to appear political in nature – his attendance in support of the clergy was well-received, according to Mr. Mattera and the would-be mayor. “These people are doing this because they’re deeply morally committed, and they understood that I was the only mayoral candidate who stood for the things they stand for,” Mr. Ognibene said.

Mr. Ognibene apparently did not stand for the things the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City, the Empire State Pride Agenda, and Soul Force stand for. A handful of those groups’ members attended in quiet protest of the clergy event, holding placards that read “I ♥ Judge Ling-Cohan” and “Take Your Hate Elsewhere.”

The protesters received words of encouragement from two Democratic council members, Alan Gerson of Manhattan and David Yassky of Brooklyn, according to Mr. Gerson’s chief of staff, Dirk McCall.

Mr. McCall said the council members and the placard-bearers were “appalled” at the “people who decided to bring their message of intolerance and hate to our steps,” particularly on Valentine’s Day, “a day that’s about love.”

A much larger assemblage of placards – some reading “Stop the Madness, Stop Same-Sex Marriage!” – belonged to a crowd rallying in support of the clergy and against gay marriage.

As they chanted “Respect our Constitution! No Boston Here,” the rally-goers, mostly Christians from congregations led by the pastors at the press conference, were praised by their pastors for their commitment to standing against legalized gay marriage. “God bless you for not being fair-weather Christians,” one said, shortly before the group erupted into chants of “We’re not going away!”

Two born-again Christians, David and Carol Hoppe of Long Island, said they hoped their demonstration would help get Justice Ling-Cohan’s ruling overturned, for the good of the institution of marriage. “To call sodomy marriage cheapens what marriage is,” Mrs. Hoppe said.

The City Action Coalition plans further protests to get the decision overturned. Mr. Mattera said the group will participate with other religious organizations across the city, including State Senator Ruben Diaz’s New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, in a rally Mr. Diaz has estimated will attract more than 30,000 New Yorkers. In addition to demonstrations, the coalition is “exploring its legal options and plans to unveil something in the next two weeks,” Mr. Mattera said.