SEATTLE -- An evangelical pastor backing John McCain tried to put his remarks about the Catholic Church behind him yesterday, issuing an apology to the head of the Catholic League expressing "deep regret for any comments Catholics found hurtful."

In an attempt to solidify his backing among evangelicals in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Mr. McCain actively sought the support of Pastor John Hagee, who heads the Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. Mr. McCain's campaign was caught off guard by the uproar over Mr. Hagee's comments after the pastor's February endorsement.

The Catholic League called on Mr. McCain to repudiate Mr. Hagee at that time, stating that he had "waged an unrelenting war" against the church and noting that the pastor had referred to the Catholic Church as a "false cult system," among other terms. Mr. Hagee also said Hurricane Katrina was "the judgment of God" on New Orleans' "sin."

Mr. McCain at first waved off the criticisms, asserting that just because Mr. Hagee endorsed him "does not mean I embrace everything that he stands for and believes in." The Arizona senator later distanced himself from the remarks, and during a recent visit to New Orleans, he called Mr. Hagee's comments "nonsense."

But when a reporter asked him about the controversy recently -- noting that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama had drawn far more criticism for the comments of his pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. -- Mr. McCain responded that Mr. Hagee had not been his pastor for 20 years.

In his letter to the Catholic League yesterday, Mr. Hagee said he now realizes that other terms he used to describe the church -- "the great whore" and the "apostate church" -- are "rhetorical devices long employed in anti-Catholic literature."

He said he had gained a better understanding in recent weeks of the Catholic Church's relationship to the Jewish faith. Mr. Hagee wrote in the letter of his "profound respect for the Catholic people," and said he hoped to advance "greater unity among Catholics and Evangelicals."

The Catholic League said in a statement that it accepted the apology. "Pastor John Hagee has demonstrated an improved understanding of the Catholic Church and its history," Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a statement.