Victoria's most senior Catholic said he did not want the church's schools to accept and tolerate that some students were gay.

Denis Hart, the Archbishop of Melbourne, made the comments in 2007 after he buried a report designed to address homophobia, discrimination and self-harm in Catholic schools.

Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart. Credit:Joe Armao

And in May this year, Archbishop Hart asked Catholic school principals to send children home with glossy booklets opposing same-sex marriage.

This week Archbishop Hart appeared to distance himself from the comments, saying there was no place for homophobia and everyone should be respected. But he said the church would never promote "the gay lifestyle".