A video of Catholic bishops praying around President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House last week has sparked debate, with some bishops claiming their attendance was “exploited” for political purposes less than two weeks before the midterm elections.
asserted
attendance → pray → elections
The 12 clergymen joined Trump on Thursday in the Oval Office, for what Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee has said was intended to be a private meeting to discuss matters such as immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity.
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Grob → join → enforcement
But in a “public apology” issued Sunday, Grob expressed deep regret over the meeting that he suggested was used as a "political photo opportunity” after White House officials shared images and footage of a moment of prayer.
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officials → issue → prayer
The video, which Grob claims was posted without the bishops’ consent, has been viewed over 1.8 million times on X alone.
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Grob → claim → X
Grob said he had received “many questions” over the encounter and wanted to emphasize that the meeting “was in no way an endorsement of the President, his policies, or his party.”
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meeting → say → President
He said his invite to the meeting had been extended by Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind the conservative policy playbook Project 2025, and that he had been informed ahead of time there may be an opportunity to pray privately with the President.
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he → say → President
“Several photos were taken and we were ushered out [after the prayer].
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we → take → prayer
Unbeknownst to the group of bishops, a video was also taken.
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video → take → bishops
But permission for the public distribution or posting of either the video or photos was not given by the bishops,” he claimed, insisting the bishops “should never have been put in that position by the White House.”
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bishops → give → House
The White House did not directly respond to questions over whether permission was obtained from the bishops prior to the video and photos being shared.
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video → respond → bishops
Spokesperson Taylor Rogers told TIME “there has never been a greater President for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it,” citing the pardoning of “pro-life activists” as one such example.
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record → tell → example
Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines also issued a statement suggesting that the meeting had been ”exploited.”
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meeting → issue → statement
Acknowledging that “there are many things tied to this present [Trump] Administration that are blatantly at odds with our Catholic faith,” Joensen said he attended the gathering as the advance communication he had received “indicated that we were to have a conversation and that key officials would be interested in hearing our perspective.”
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officials → acknowledge → perspective
“None of us bishops were unaware that our meeting was on the cusp of a national election,” he said.
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he → say → election
“Yet in no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate.”
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any → intend → party
He added: “I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes.
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who → add → purposes
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.”
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I → pray → levels
Archbishop James Golka of Denver, who led the prayer in the Oval Office, has also addressed the matter after people raised questions over the timing of the video.
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people → lead → video
“I understand that many people saw the video, posted by the Administration twelve days before an election, as an endorsement.
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people → understand → endorsement
That was never my intention,” Golka told Denver Catholic magazine.
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Golka → tell → magazine
“The bishops of the United States teach that the Church cannot champion any candidate or party.
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Church → teach → candidate
I hold to that.”
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I → hold → that
He continued: “I’ve had a lot of people, really good friends, ask me, ‘What were you doing?’
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you → continue → What
‘Why did you do that?’
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you → do → that
I just answer: ‘I was being a Catholic priest.
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I → answer → ?
We pray for people.'”
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We → pray → people
Other clergymen in attendance included the former Archbishop of Kansas City Joseph Naumann.
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clergymen → include → City
In a statement to TIME, his successor, Archbishop Shawn McKnight, said Naumann’s presence at the White House “was in his own individual capacity” and that “his actions and presence at that event were not on behalf of, or representative of, myself or the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.”
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actions → say → Kansas
A separate statement from Archbishop Emeritus Naumann’s office said of the event: “The bishops were assured that no photographs would be made public.
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photographs → say → event
They came to have a discussion on important policy matters.
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They → come → matters
As Catholic bishops, they pray with everyone, but do not endorse candidates or political parties.”
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they → pray → candidates
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), meanwhile, has distanced itself from the gathering.
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Conference → distance → gathering
A spokesperson for the group told TIME that “the meeting was not organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops” and emphasized it was “not affiliated” in any way.
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it → tell → way
Trump described the meeting as “really good” when speaking with reporters Friday, calling the bishops a “nice group of people” who “mostly prayed” in the Oval Office.
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who → describe → Office
Amid the online discourse, White House Faith Office director Jenny Korn defended the gathering, describing it as “not politics,” but “policy in action ending with meaningful prayer with, and for, the President.
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Korn → defend → President
The controversy comes as the Trump Administration seeks to maintain support among Catholic voters ahead of the midterms.
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Administration → come → midterms
According to data circulated by the Pew Research Center in 2025, 20% of U.S. adults describe themselves as Catholic.
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% → accord → Catholic
Trump's approval rating among Catholics has fallen to 30% as of October 2026, compared to the 47% he held when he returned to the White House in January 2025, per the D.C.-based think tank.
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he → fall → tank
When asked about the drop in support from Catholic voters in an Oct. 22 interview, Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic convert, said that while he believes Catholics, and Americans in general, are not “displeased with the direction” of the country, he acknowledges that “a lot more work needs to happen.
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work → ask → country
”
“The Catholic vote is absolutely critical in electoral politics in the United States, and particularly in the midterms,” says David Gibson, director of the Center of Religion and Culture at Fordham University.
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Gibson → say → University
…and 25 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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