Two Catholic bishops expressed regret for attending a meeting with ten other prelates and President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, saying they had been “exploited.”
Photos and videos of 12 clergy praying for the president were released Thursday, less than two weeks before the midterm elections. The footage shows the clergy praying around Trump, who has his head bowed as he sits at the desk in the Oval Office.
Today, a bishop at the meeting said he felt manipulated and apologized for “inadvertently” participating in a political event so close to an election. Another said the meeting had been “exploited” for “partisan political purposes” and expressed regret for attending.
The image released by the White House stands in stark contrast to the caution with which Pope Leo XIV avoided taking sides in politics – America’s first pope insisted that bishops avoid political partisanship. However, he addressed political issues more broadly, speaking out against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the war in Iran, in addition to calling for stricter regulation of artificial intelligence.
The pope’s decision not to visit the United States in 2026 was also largely due to the midterm elections, as papal visits do not traditionally take place during election cycles.
One of the participants, Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, later said the meeting had been manipulated, that he was unaware their meeting was being recorded and that the bishops had not authorized the footage and images to be publicly released.
“To begin with, the meeting was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies or his party,” Grob said in a statement.
But he explained that after the footage was released, he “quickly began receiving messages of deep concern that I may have inadvertently participated in a political event less than two weeks before a national election.”
The archbishop continued: “I did not go (to the meeting) without reservations. I would have liked to take them into account. Please know that I have heard these concerns, that I understand how I caused them and that I apologize for any harm that my actions have caused.”
Another bishop, William Joensen of Des Moines, said he felt the meeting had been “exploited” for “partisan political purposes” and that he wished he had done things differently. “I wish I was more clever and less simple,” he said. “I pray that I will be more careful and wiser in the future, although I remain steadfast in my openness to engage and pray for political leaders at all levels.”
The meeting was attended by Paula White-Cain, Trump’s longtime religious adviser. Trump said afterward: “It was a great meeting. Well, they prayed. They mostly prayed. It was actually a very nice meeting. They’re great.”
Trump attracted support from Catholics during his previous campaigns, although recent polls show that support has declined since his return to office.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers did not respond to a question about whether the clergy had authorized the use of their images, instead sending a statement saying, “There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump.” » She cited “expanding religious rights”, his pardon of anti-abortion activists, his work against the control of children’s gender identity and his protection of parents’ rights.
While the president had a public clash with the pope earlier this year, Trump has been less critical of him lately — frequently bringing up the fact that the pontiff’s older brother, Louis, is a MAGA supporter. When the pope was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, Trump said he wanted to see him “get well.”
“It’s serious any time you have cancer, but the prognosis seems to be good,” the president said, going on to call Leo’s brother “a friend of mine.”
After footage of the bishops and president praying was released, a church source joked on CNN that it was the White House going “trick or treat early!” »
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