SAN ANTONIO – UPDATE: Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller released a statement Tuesday evening apologizing for singling out President Donald Trump, but remaining steadfast that racism and violence must be rooted out of society.

"I regret that my recent Tweet remarks were not focused on the issues but on an individual," he wrote in a two-page statement sent to KSAT.com and posted on several of the San Antonio Archdioceses online platforms.

Hours before the statement, the archbishop had deleted the tweets that directly referenced the president. The string of messages were posted Monday night, two days after the killing of 22 people in an El Paso Walmart by a racist gunman who targeted Hispanics.

In his statement, the archbishop added that it is his ministry to serve spiritual needs and "express myself in ways that convey compassion, civility and build up unity."

"No one has the moral right to make racist statements," García-Siller said. "... There is growing fear and harassment, and at times American public discourse uses rhetoric that instigates fear against foreigners, immigrants and refugees. We must pray for fervently for peace amidst all of the violence which seems to be overwhelming our society." Watch his full video statement below, and read the original story for more context under the video.

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS, response regarding recent Tweets concerning racism Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, MSpS, response regarding recent Tweets concerning racism To my parishioners, the wider community, and all the dedicated priests of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, please know it is my ministry to serve your spiritual needs, and to express myself in ways that convey compassion, civility and build up unity. I regret that my recent Tweet remarks were not focused on the issues but on an individual. All individuals have God-given dignity and should be accorded respect and love as children of God, especially in our conversations and interactions. We should be aware of this in our discourse about the Office of the President of the United States, which is due our respect. The families affected in the shootings in El Paso, Dayton, and Gilroy, California need our prayers. Here in South Texas the nearby community of Sutherland Springs was the scene of just such a tragedy two years ago. This evil makes no sense and will never be fully understood. Disbelief and shock are the overwhelming feelings; and there are no adequate words. There can be no justifiable explanation for such scenes of horror. My hope is to bring comfort at this emotional time. I have served as chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church, and last fall our episcopal conference approved a document titled, “The Enduring Call to Love: A Pastoral Letter Against Racism.” The pastoral letter stated that, “Despite many promising strides made in our country, the ugly cancer of racism still infects our nation. Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice. They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love.” The document also reads, “Every racist act — every such comment, every joke, every disparaging look as a reaction to the color of skin, ethnicity or place of origin — is a failure to acknowledge another person as a brother or sister, created in the image of God.” No one has the moral right to make racist statements. These are the things I want to tweet and preach about and initiate renewed dialogue. Let us focus on this. My prayer is that this leads to healthy national conversations on these issues which affect many people in our country. There is growing fear and harassment, and at times American public discourse uses rhetoric that instigates fear against foreigners, immigrants and refugees. We must pray for fervently for peace amidst all of the violence which seems to be overwhelming our society. We must be lights in the darkness. Let us further the values of the Kingdom. We do not need more division, but rather, we need to move forward in freedom to discuss these topics more deeply in light of the Gospel. Posted by Archdiocese of San Antonio on Tuesday, August 6, 2019

ORIGINAL: The leader of the San Antonio Archdiocese, one of the top two Catholic leaders in Texas, called out racism, violence and President Donald Trump in a rash of tweets sent from his account Monday night.

“President stop hate and racism, starting with yourself,”a tweet sent from Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller's account at 8 p.m. Monday reads. "... Racism is a sin. God is offended by this.”

García-Siller, who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 and is one of 34 archbishops in the United States, also called for gun control in tweets sent on Sunday. “Gun control is urgent. More lives wasted in vain. Families suffering. We are suffering. Basta!!!” he wrote.

RELATED: Donald Trump still owes city of El Paso $470,000 for MAGA rally from February

Calls placed to his office and spokesperson were not immediately returned. García-Siller, who was born in Mexico and became a U.S. citizen in 1998, tweets regularly but the messages are generally less political. The account has more than 2,000 followers and links to the archdioceses Facebook page and website.

“Please stop racism. Please stop hatred. Please be people of good will. Please stop fake prayer. You have cause too much damage already, you have destroyed people lives. Stop, stop, stop. Please, please, please,” the account tweeted.

The San Antonio Archdiocese leads a Catholic population of 800,000, including 160 priests and 139 parishes. Texas has two archdioceses.

Other leaders in Texas, including former Congressman Beto O'Rourke, El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and others have asked Trump not to visit the border-greiving city on Wednesday.

A white 21-year-old man from the Dallas area used a semi-automatic rifle to carry out a massacre that targeted Hispanics at an El Paso Walmart on Saturday. Authorities are investigating an anti-immigrant, white supremacist manifesto that riled against the "Hispanic invasion of Texas" and other language similar to that used by Trump on the campaign trail. The shooter has been charged with capital murder and federal authorities are investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism.

“Violence is escalating everywhere. The [rhetoric] and selfishness of many in power has led to destruction and pain. We rise with love, forgiveness and tenderness as we care the wounds of those innocent people affected by hatred, racism and discrimination. Enough, enough and enough,” the archbishop’s account posted on Sunday.