Two Catholic bishops apologized after the White House released photos and video of them praying with President Donald Trump without their consent, saying a private pastoral discussion was manipulated for partisan political gain just ahead of the midterm elections.
Two Catholic bishops have publicly voiced regret after a meeting at the White House resulted in widely shared promotional photos and video showing them praying with President Donald Trump just weeks before the national midterm elections.
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee released an official statement titled “A Public Apology,” acknowledging severe backlash from parishioners and community members. Grob explained that the group—consisting of 12 bishops—had been invited to hold a private policy discussion on key matters such as immigration, religious visas, abortion, and private education tax credits. Instead, Grob said, the White House recorded and published footage of their private prayer without the participants’ explicit consent.
“I feel a heavy sadness, not only over the pain I caused, but also for the fact that something so sacred to a group of religious leaders, prayer to our Heavenly Father, would be manipulated in that way,” Grob wrote, emphasizing that the encounter was never meant to serve as an endorsement of the president or his policies.
Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines echoed these concerns, stating that the religious leaders were exploited for partisan political purposes. While reaffirming his commitment to pray for civil leaders of all affiliations, Joensen lamented being “less simple” and failing to anticipate how the meeting would be weaponized so close to an election.
When pressed on whether consent was granted prior to releasing the footage, the White House declined to address the matter directly, with spokesperson Taylor Rogers stating only that Trump has been an unparalleled advocate for Catholic Americans.
The incident reflects broader philosophical divisions within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, where leaders have alternately allied with the administration on anti-abortion measures and judicial appointments while sharply rebuking its aggressive stance on immigration enforcement.
