Fr Peter McVerry has apologised to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for saying that he "overrode" Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien’s desire to extend the eviction moratorium.
In an interview on Wednesday morning, the homelessness campaigner accepted that his source may have given him incorrect information.
Fr McVerry claimed several times this week that he was told the Taoiseach overruled Minister O’Brien on the eviction ban, despite strong protests from Government.
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The Taoiseach, Minister O’Brien and Tánaiste Micheál Martin all denied the suggestion.
Speaking to The Neil Prendeville show on Cork's RedFM, Fr McVerry apologised to the Taoiseach.
"I want to put an end to this because it's a distraction from the real issue," he said.
"The real issue is where do people go when they're evicted?
"The phrase I was given was that the Taoiseach had overridden the minister.
"In light of the Taoiseach’s denial, which I accept as true, I believe that that phrase was unfortunate and inaccurate, suggesting as it does a conflict or dispute between the Taoiseach and the minister.
"Whatever the circumstances leading up to the decision to end the ban, which are now irrelevant as the decision has been made, I accept that the Minister along with the rest of the Cabinet and the Taoiseach made the decision together.
"This is a distraction, the Government loves the distraction."
When asked if it was a clarification or an apology, Fr McVerry said that his statement was an "apology to the Taoiseach."
The campaigner had reiterated his statement on RTÉ radio on Tuesday but stated that he was not going to reveal his source.
In a separate interview, Mr Varadkar said that the claim was "100 per cent untrue" and that there was "zero evidence to support it".
He told Newstalk: "A few weeks ago, on foot of advice from his officials, three options were put before the party leaders.
"[Minister O’Brien] recommended option one, which was that we should not continue with the temporary winter eviction ban for reasons he has explained.
"That is the absolute 100 per cent truth of it. The claim is 100 per cent untrue."
A spokeswoman for Minister O’Brien previously told The Irish Mirror that he "firmly believes that the decision to end the winter eviction moratorium, as planned on March 31, is the correct decision".
The Tánaiste, meanwhile, said on Tuesday evening that extending the moratorium would have made the rental situation worse and that there was agreement around the Cabinet table that it should end.
The Irish Mirror understands that there was anger in Government over Fr McVerry’s claims as they suggested that there had been disagreement on what was already a controversial issue.
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