Evangelical leader John Hagee, one of John McCain's highest-profile supporters from the religious right, has apologized for comments he made that were offensive to Catholics.

In a letter Monday to Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote, "I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful."

Pastor Hagee, leader of San Antonio's Cornerstone Church, has often made references to "the apostate church" and the "great whore," terms that Catholics say are slurs aimed at the Roman Catholic Church.

In his letter, Hagee said he now better understands that the Book of Revelation's reference to the Catholic Church by those two terms are "a rhetorical device long employed in anti-Catholic literature and commentary."

"Neither of these phrases can be synonymous with the Catholic Church," he wrote.

Donohue, accepting the apology, said on FOX News Radio: "I'm absolutely delighted ... I haven't seen such a quick turnaround in the 15 years that I have been president of the Catholic League." He said he plans to meet with Hagee on Thursday.

Likening Hagee to two New York shock jocks who encouraged a pair of listeners to attempt to have sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral in 2002, Donohue added that he is receptive to honest apologies.

"We're not in the business of rejecting apologies whether it's from Opie and Anthony or Pastor Hagee so now when we meet we can understand that this issue is moot and behind us and I think it's a great moment that we can have some degree of reconciliation."

Hagee's endorsement in February had been difficult for McCain, as Democrats, Donohue and others called on the presumptive GOP nominee to reject the pastor's support.

McCain said Tuesday he didn't know if the new apology would stifle criticism, but said it was "helpful" and "laudable."

"I believe the fact that these two individuals came together is a laudable thing and a testimony to both individuals and their principles, which are Judeo-Christian values," he said, adding that his campaign had nothing to do with brokering the apology.

McCain, who has taken pains to gain the trust of the religious right, has rejected specific statements from Hagee -- namely about the Catholic Church and blaming the sinful behavior of New Orleans residents for Hurricane Katrina -- but would not denounce the pastor. Hagee apologized for the Katrina statements a couple weeks ago, saying it's not his place to try to know the mind of God concerning the natural disaster.

Hagee has claimed that his "great whore" remarks were taken out of context, and that he was not directing them at the Roman Catholic Church. A spokesman said via e-mail Tuesday that Hagee "never used this phrase to refer to the Catholic Church."

Donohue, who in February said that Hagee "has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church," said in a statement Tuesday that their feud is now history.

"The tone of Hagee's letter is sincere. He wants reconciliation and he has achieved it," Donohue said, adding that Hagee has spent "weeks" meeting with Catholic leaders.

"Indeed, the Catholic League welcomes his apology," he wrote. "What Hagee has done takes courage and quite frankly I never expected him to demonstrate such sensitivity to our concerns. But he has done just that. Now Catholics, along with Jews, can work with Pastor Hagee in making interfaith relations stronger than ever. Whatever problems we had before are now history. This case is closed."

Hagee is firmly pro-Israel and has praised McCain for sharing his values to that end. But he has condemned Catholics for what he sees as efforts to persecute Jews. In his 2006 book "Jerusalem Countdown," Hagee wrote that history proves Adolf Hitler and the Catholic Church were linked "in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews."

In his letter to Donohue, Hagee indicated he no longer believes in such historical links.

"In my zeal to oppose anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its ugly forms, I have often emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews," he wrote. "In the process, I may have contributed to the mistaken impression that the anti-Jewish violence of the Crusades and the Inquisition defines the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not. Likewise, I have not sufficiently expressed my deep appreciation for the efforts of Catholics who opposed the persecution of the Jewish people."

Reacting to the letter, the Democratic National Committee again called on McCain to renounce Hagee's endorsement Tuesday.

But McCain gave no sign of doing so. His campaign also rejects any attempts to draw comparisons between Hagee's controversial remarks and those of Barack Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.

Donohue told FOX News Radio that both McCain and Obama "have both gotten some bad advice on how to handle certain people who are close to them."

But he said "I don't really have a stink with McCain per se."

FOX News' Shushannah Walshe and Mike Majchrowitz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.