The Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed "sorrow and regret" over remarks in which he appeared to criticise the Catholic Church.

Dr Rowan Williams said he "had no intention of criticising or attacking" the Church after an interview in which he appeared to suggest the clergy in Ireland had lost all credibility over the child abuse scandal.

A spokeswoman for Dr Williams confirmed he telephoned Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin to express his "deep sorrow and regret for difficulties which may have been created" by his remarks.

She said: "The Archbishop had no intention of criticising or attacking the Catholic Church as a whole. The Church in Ireland continues to work tirelessly to deal with the scandal of abuse."

In a radio interview, the Archbishop had said: "I was speaking to an Irish friend recently who was saying that it's quite difficult in some parts of Ireland to go down the street wearing a clerical collar now.

"And an institution so deeply bound into the life of a society suddenly becoming, suddenly losing all credibility - that's not just a problem for the church, it is a problem for everybody in Ireland."