Bishops regret Oval Office prayer photo op before midterms

Twelve Catholic bishops who prayed with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office are now saying they regret the moment. They accuse the White House of turning a private religious gathering into a campaign event just days before the midterm elections.

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee and Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines issued separate statements of regret over the weekend. The group met with administration officials on Thursday, October 22, less than two weeks before the vote on November 3.

The White House quickly posted video and photos of the prayer on social media. The posts were captioned as Catholic archbishops and bishops praying with the US president. This timing placed the image in front of voters during a critical campaign window.

Archbishop Grob wrote a statement titled A Public Apology. He said he felt a heavy sadness over the pain the images caused. He noted that people were alarmed he had joined a political event on the eve of a national vote. Some were hurt by the effect of Trump’s policies on their families.

Grob stated that the White House should never have put the bishops in that position. He admitted he had harbored reservations and wished he had heeded them. He said the Heritage Foundation arranged the meeting. The group was told it would be a private discussion on immigration enforcement, religious-worker visas, and human dignity.

After 90 minutes with domestic policy staff, the bishops were ushered into the Oval Office. They were handed commemorative tokens and directed to stand behind Trump’s desk to pray. Grob said nobody told them a video was being recorded. They never agreed to its release.

Bishop Joensen wrote that many things tied to the present administration are blatantly at odds with the Catholic faith. He said none of the bishops intended to endorse a party or candidate. He wished he had been more shrewd and less simple than those who exploited the meeting for partisan political purposes.

Archbishop James Golka of Denver told his archdiocese’s publication that the video was never his intention to endorse anyone. He said he is heartbroken that people are hurt and that others are using the moment to sow disunity. Bishop Scott Bullock of Rapid City told the National Catholic Reporter that a Heritage Foundation representative invited him.

Bullock said the US Conference of Catholic Bishops was not unaware of the meeting. He did not specify who in the leadership knew. President Trump created a White House Faith Office by executive order in February 2025. He also created a justice department-led taskforce to eradicate anti-Christian bias in federal agencies that same month.

In April, Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure. He later deleted the post, claiming it was supposed to be him as a doctor making people better. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has held Christian worship services at the Pentagon. In March, he prayed for overwhelming violence against those who deserve no mercy in the Iran war.