Two Catholic bishops have publicly apologized after the White House released video of them praying over President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, saying they were manipulated and exploited for political purposes less than two weeks before the midterm elections.
Photos and video released on Thursday, October 22, showed 12 clergy members praying around Trump, who sat at the Oval Office desk with his head bowed, according to CNN. The meeting was the second of two arranged by the conservative Heritage Foundation, and the bishops had been told it would be a private discussion of matters important to the Church, including immigration, religious worker visas and human dignity.
"I was manipulated" — Archbishop Grob
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee said in a statement titled "A Public Apology," published October 25, that after a 90-minute discussion with White House domestic policy staff and advisers, the bishops were ushered into the Oval Office, greeted by the president, given commemorative tokens, directed to stand behind him and pray, and then ushered out. "Unbeknownst to the group of bishops a video was also taken," he said. "Permission for the public distribution or posting of either the video or photos was not given by the bishops." Grob said the meeting "was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party," and apologized for "any damage my actions have done." He added: "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."
"Exploited for partisan political purposes"
Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines said the meeting had been "exploited" for "partisan political purposes" and wished he had acted differently. "I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple," he said. "I pray I am more prudent and wise going forward, even as I remain resolute in my openness to engaging and praying for political leaders at all levels." Grob said he had also heard from people who felt wounded because of the ways they or their families had been harmed by the president's policies, and noted the Catholic population has felt the brunt of the administration's mass deportation policies.
Why the timing matters
The images landed less than two weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, and they contrasted sharply with Pope Leo XIV's careful avoidance of partisanship — the first American pope has insisted bishops avoid political partisanship, even while speaking out on policy issues including the immigration crackdown, the war in Iran and artificial intelligence regulation. The pope's decision not to visit the United States in 2026 was also in large part due to the midterms, as papal visits traditionally do not take place during election cycles, CNN reported. Trump, for his part, called it a great meeting: "They prayed. They mostly prayed. It was actually a very nice meeting. They're great."
The takeaway: What the bishops describe as a private prayer offered in good faith became, once the cameras rolled, a campaign-season image — and their apologies are a warning to religious leaders everywhere about the price of a photo opportunity.
Watch: White House video of Catholic bishops praying over President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Movement Proposition (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: CNN, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Florida Catholic, PetaPixel.