Do you not think someone higher up ordered him to apologize, prior to the upcoming Synod??
Could this be another example of false obedience?
I'd say that's one possible explanation. Words like "abomination" were hard to find in last October's mid term relatio.
Other possibilities are that he was spooked by the threat of criminal charges being brought and simply blinked, and/or that there were threats to cut off donations to the collection basket.