A Roman Catholic priest in Minnesota has apologized for calling Islam the “greatest threat in the world” to the United States and Christianity.

The Rev. Nick VanDenBroeke apologized Wednesday in a statement posted on the website of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minnesota for the Jan. 5 comments during a 15-minute homily as pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale.

“My homily on immigration contained words that were hurtful to Muslims,” the statement read. “I’m sorry for this. I realize now that my comments were not fully reflective of the Catholic Church’s teaching on Islam.”

The mea culpa followed a request by the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to condemn the “hate-filled” remarks, including that congregants “must oppose” Muslims’ religion and worldview.

“Silence on this issue would send the troubling message that the church holds a negative view of Minnesota’s Muslim community,” the civil rights group said in a statement.

While characterizing Islam as the “greatest threat” worldwide to both the United States and Christianity, VanDenBroeke also claimed that Americans do “not need to pretend” that all immigrants seeking to enter the country should be treated equally, according to the civil rights group.

“I believe it is essential to consider the religion and worldview of the immigrants or refugees,” VanDenBroeke told parishioners, according to CAIR. “More specifically, we should not be allowing large numbers of Muslims asylum or immigration into our country.”

In a separate statement posted on the archdiocese’s website, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said he had discussed the matter with VanDenBroeke.

“He has expressed sorrow for his words and an openness to seeing more clearly the Church’s position on our relationship with Islam,” the statement read. “The teaching of the Catholic Church is clear.”

The church “looks with esteem to Muslims,” who worship God via prayer, fasting and the giving of alms, Hebda said, adding that Pope Francis has emphasized the need for enhanced dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

“I am grateful for the many examples of friendship that have been offered by the Muslim community in our region and we are committed to strengthening the relationship between the two communities,” Hebda’s statement continued.

The homily took place on a day declared as “Immigration Sunday” by Minnesota’s Catholic bishops. The date was first celebrated in Catholic parishes statewide in 2009 to welcome migrants and refugees into local communities, the Star Tribune reports.