The Archbishop of Canterbury today issued a grovelling apology after saying failure to get a climate change deal would mean a worse 'genocide' than committed by the Nazis.
Justin Welby said he was sorry for 'offence caused to Jews' after making the extraordinary remarks at the COP26 summit.
Mr Welby has given a series of interviews to broadcasters, and in one he told the BBC leaders will be 'cursed' if they don't reach agreement on climate change in the next fortnight.
He said failure to act would allow 'a genocide on an infinitely greater scale' than was committed by Hitler's regime.
But before the footage was even aired he tweeted in a desperate bid to defuse the backlash.
'I unequivocally apologise for the words I used when trying to emphasise the gravity of the situation facing us at COP26,' he wrote.
Justin Welby said he was sorry for 'offence caused to Jews' after making the remarks in an interview at the COP26 summit
Mr Welby tweeted saying sorry for the remarks before the interview had even aired. 'I unequivocally apologise for the words I used when trying to emphasise the gravity of the situation facing us at COP26,' he said.
'It's never right to make comparisons with the atrocities brought by the Nazis, and I'm sorry for the offence caused to Jews by these words.'
Mr Welby said in the interview: 'People will speak of them (current world leaders) in far stronger terms than we speak today of the politicians of the 30s, of the politicians who ignored what was happening in Nazi Germany because this will kill people all around the world for generations, and we will have no means of averting it.'
Asked whether that mean failure to act on climate change would be worse than people allowing genocide to happen, he replied: 'It will allow a genocide on an infinitely greater scale.
'I'm not sure there's grades of genocide, but there's width of genocide, and this will be genocide indirectly, by negligence, recklessness, that will in the end come back to us or to our children and grandchildren.'
The initial reports of the Archbishop's remarks caused outrage.
Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard said: 'If this is as reported it is so sickening that I simply cannot comprehend how Welby can remain as a priest, let alone Archbishop.'
However, he added after Mr Welby retracted the words: 'Welby apology was quick and clear. And a proper apology, not mealy mouthed. An incident to note and move on.'
Before the apology Downing Street had declined to criticise the Archbishop.
'We have seen from the PM's speech how seriously he takes this,' Mr Johnson's spokesman said.
'It is a matter for individuals how they choose to frame it...
'Those attending here understand how serious this is.'
The comments by Mr Welby came amid a flurry of blood-curdling warnings at the summit about the consequences of failing to tackle climate change.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and said mining for coal, oil and gas is like 'digging our own graves'.
Mr Guterres told delegates the world's 'addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink'.
'We face a stark choice: either we stop it — or it stops us,' he said.
Antonio Gutteres insisted it is an 'illusion' to think there has been enough progress reducing carbon emissions, and mining for fossil fuels is like 'digging our own graves'
