Close to 50 Twin Cities area clergy members participated in a rally alongside about 400 gay marriage supporters Thursday at the Capitol, where they rebuked efforts to push forth a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and woman.

Leaders from Jewish and various Christian faith backgrounds said state lawmakers should focus their attention on other issues, such as finding ways to create jobs, feeding the hungry and assisting people facing foreclosure.

The religious leaders also said it's possible for religious believers to embrace gay rights.

One of the most vocal religious groups in favor of an amendment has been the state's Catholic bishops. The group has indicated during this legislative session it intends to push for such an amendment.

The Rev. David McCauley, who heads the Minnesota Catholic Conference, which advocates on behalf of the state's bishops for public policies, said Thursday the group has found a sponsor for the amendment. But he declined to name the sponsor, or when that person may be submitting a bill.

McCauley did not comment about the rally, where participants criticized the Catholic hierarchy's anti-gay marriage efforts.

This past fall, the bishops were behind the distribution of nearly 400,000 anti-gay marriage DVDs sent to Catholics across Minnesota encouraging them to support a marriage amendment.

McCauley told The Catholic Spirit newspaper recently that "Republican legislative majorities could bode well for some initiatives the MCC supports — including the marriage amendment.... But fixing the budget shortfall will continue to be a challenge for legislators of both parties.

"The MCC will work to develop and identify sponsors for a marriage amendment that could appear on the ballot in 2012 for approval by Minnesota voters if the proposal passes with a majority vote in both the House and Senate. The procedure bypasses the governor's office. Republicans proposed similar amendments in the past but ran into opposition from DFL leaders."