ASHINGTON - Abruptly dropping his defense of a visit to Bob Jones University earlier this month, Governor George W. Bush yesterday expressed remorse for his failure to speak out at the time against anti-Catholic views voiced by school officials, calling the event a ''missed opportunity causing needless offense, which I deeply regret.''
In a letter to Cardinal John O'Connor, leader of the 2.4 million-member archdiocese of New York, Bush said he regretted not distancing himself more clearly from the anti-Catholic views. The letter, sent 11 days before the New York primary, followed weeks of attacks by Bush's chief opponent for the Republican presidential nomination, Senator John S. McCain.
''On reflection, I should have been more clear in disassociating myself from anti-Catholic sentiments and racial prejudice,'' said the letter, mailed Friday. Bush repeated his regret at a news conference in Austin yesterday before leaving to campaign in Washington state, an aide said.
Bush's Feb. 2 appearance at the South Carolina school, in which he was introduced as a man who ''deeply loves the Lord,'' followed by one day his crushing defeat in the New Hampshire primary, and was seen at the time as an overt bid for support from the evangelical Christian community. Bush spoke almost exclusively about his conservative values, mentioning the word ''conservative'' six times in a single minute, and did not address the school's policy of banning interracial dating, or its founder's description of Roman Catholicism as a ''Satanic cult.''
Within hours, Bush faced intense criticism for the visit.
Under fire, he told reporters he was unaware of the school's policies. He defended his views as separate from those of the university, citing his record of inclusion as Texas governor and invoking his brother and sister-in-law, both of whom are Catholic.
But Bush was unable to neutralize the controversy as he headed into Michigan, home of many Catholics. The McCain campaign later used the Bob Jones appearance as material for a campaign script, telephoning thousands of Michigan residents to tell them the views the school espouses, and of Bush's appearance. McCain won in Michigan on Feb. 22.
Throughout, Bush refused to admit he had made a mistake. As recently as last week, Bush said: ''I don't make any apologies for what I do in the campaign.''
But by last Friday, having ''thought long and hard about this matter,'' Bush had become ''deeply troubled by impressions'' that he endorsed the views of the school, spokesman Ari Fleischer said. He chose to express that sentiment directly to Cardinal O'Connor because the two are friends, Fleischer said. Earlier last year, Bush met with O'Connor and ''specifically discussed anti-Catholic bigotry,'' he said. In the Feb. 25 letter, no mention was made of the March 7 New York primary, which could prove crucial in deciding the Republican presidential nominee.
If anyone should be cited for religious divisiveness, Bush aides said yesterday, it should be McCain.
''It appears John McCain is intent on reversing one of the great accomplishments of John F. Kennedy, which is an end to the politics of religious division,'' Fleischer said. ''It's a real step back in time.''
This week, Democrats in both the House and the Senate hope to introduce resolutions condemning Bob Jones University for what Democrats are calling bigoted and racist views. Bush has not said whether he will back those resolutions. But, Fleischer said, ''Obviously, the governor has repudiated the anti-Catholic and anti-interracial dating policies of Bob Jones, so he supports anything that repudiates them.''
