Two Catholic bishops express their regret for meeting with Trump in the White House: it was used for a “political purpose”

Two Catholic bishops expressed their regret for attending a meeting - which included 10 other clergy - with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, noting that they were “exploited and manipulated.” On Thursday - less than two weeks before the midterm elections - photos and videos were published showing 12 clerics praying for Trump. He appears in the photos with his head bowed while sitting at his desk in the Oval Office.

Subsequently, one of the bishops who attended the meeting stated that he felt they had been “manipulated” and apologized for participating “unintentionally” in a political event so close to the elections. Another bishop said that the meeting had been “exploited to achieve partisan political purposes,” and expressed his regret for attending. The photos published by the White House are in stark contrast to the keenness shown by Pope Leo XIV - the first Vatican pope from the Americas - to avoid taking sides in politics. He has always stressed the need for bishops to distance themselves from any partisan political alignment.

However, the pope has addressed public policy issues more broadly, criticizing the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants, speaking out against the war on Iran, and calling for stricter regulation of artificial intelligence. It is also noteworthy that the Pope's decision not to visit the United States in 2026 is due in large part to the midterm elections; It is customary for papal visits not to take place during election cycles.

For his part, Jeffrey Grubb, Archbishop of Milwaukee - one of the participants in the meeting - said that the meeting witnessed "tampering", explaining that he was not aware that the meeting was being recorded, and that the bishops did not grant permission to publish these footage and pictures to the public. Grob said, in a statement: “First of all, the meeting was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party.”

He added that after the photos were published, "I began receiving messages expressing grave 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, and I wish I had taken them into account.

Please know that I listened to these concerns, realize how I raised them, and apologize for any harm my actions may have caused.” For his part, another bishop, William Johnson of the Diocese of Des Moines, said he felt the meeting had been “exploited” for “partisan political” purposes, expressing his wish that he had acted differently.

I pray that I will be wiser and more prudent in the future, while remaining committed to being open to communicating with and praying for political leaders at all levels.” The meeting was attended by Paula White Cain, Trump’s longtime religious affairs advisor, and following the meeting, Trump said: “It was a wonderful meeting.

Well, they prayed; All they did was pray. “In fact, it was a very nice meeting, they are great people.”

Trump had support from Catholics during his previous election campaigns, although recent opinion polls indicate a decline in this support since his return to office. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers did not respond to a question about whether the clergy had given their consent for the use of their images, but merely issued a statement saying: “American Catholics have never seen a better president than President Trump.”

In her statement, she referred to his “expansion of religious rights,” his pardoning of anti-abortion activists, his work against providing care related to “gender identity” to children, and his protection of the rights of parents. Although there was a public clash between the US President and the Pope earlier this year, Trump's criticism of the Pope has lessened recently. Louis, the Pope's older brother, is often said to be a supporter of the "Make America Great Again" slogan, and when the Pope was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, Trump wished him a "speedy recovery."

The US President said: “Having cancer is a big deal, but the medical prognosis seems to be good,” describing the Pope’s brother as “a friend of mine.” Following the publication of footage showing the bishops praying with Trump, one of the church sources joked with the Ofoq News Network, saying that the White House was practicing the tradition of “trick-or-treating” early on, as it is associated with Halloween.