Catholic Bishops Apologize for Oval Office Prayer With Trump
Several U.S. bishops have expressed regret after a video released by the White House showed them at a prayer with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Critics saw it as a possible endorsement shortly before the midterm elections.
Several Catholic bishops from the United States have expressed their regret at having taken part in a prayer with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. The trigger was a video of the meeting released by the White House, which sparked controversy. Critics warned that the impression of an election endorsement could arise less than two weeks before the midterm elections.
The video shows a group of around a dozen Catholic bishops standing around the president and praying on October 22. Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee, one of the participants, publicly apologized on October 25. He stated that the government had made the encounter public without the consent of those involved. The meeting was "in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies or his party," he emphasized.
According to Archbishop Grob, the meeting had been announced as a private discussion, at which some Catholic cabinet members might also appear. The group had wanted to use the opportunity to discuss topics such as immigration enforcement, visas for religious workers and human dignity. After a roughly 90-minute discussion with White House advisers, the bishops were brought into the Oval Office, where the president greeted them. There they were asked to stand behind him and pray. Photos were then taken. A video was recorded without their knowledge, and the group had not given permission for its public distribution.
Archbishop Grob said that after the release he received messages expressing serious concern that he might have unintentionally taken part in a political event. Others felt hurt because they or their families had suffered under the president's policies. "I feel a deep sadness," he said, not only about the pain caused, but also that a sacred act such as prayer to God had been instrumentalized in this way. He added: "We should never have been put in this position."
Bishop William M. Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa, also expressed regret in a statement. He had been invited to speak on a range of political issues, including immigration and the exploitation of vulnerable poor people, visas for international clergy, incentives for restorative reproductive medicine, and government support for private schools through new tax credits. As a bishop, he is often asked to speak with people whose positions do not align with the teaching of the Church. He had viewed the invitation as an opportunity to bring in the Gospel.
The incident comes at a time when Catholic voters' approval of Trump has, according to the Pew Research Center, dropped significantly. Approval among U.S. Catholics fell from 47 percent at the beginning of his second term to 30 percent in October. Among Hispanic Catholics it dropped from 31 to 18 percent, and among white Catholics from 59 to 39 percent. A joint report by several Christian organizations also estimated that more than ten million Christians living in the United States are at risk of deportation due to policies implemented in 2025, 61 percent of them Catholic.
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