Milwaukee Archbishop Says Trump Prayer Visit Was Politicized, Apologizes

WHO:

The Guardian - Bishop William Joensen said, “I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple,” and hoped to be “more prudent and wise going forward,” while remaining open to engaging and praying for political leaders at all levels.

The Guardian - Archbishop James Golka of Denver said he understood why many people viewed the prayer video as an endorsement, but said, “it was never my intention”; he added, “I’m heartbroken that people are hurt.”

The Guardian - Bishop Scott Bullock of Rapid City said a Heritage Foundation representative invited him and that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was “not unaware” of the meeting; he did not say who in its leadership knew.

The Guardian - Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, urged Catholics to put faith ahead of politics before the vote.

WISN - Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob apologized for attending a White House meeting and appearing in social media posts showing bishops praying over President Donald Trump.

WISN - Grob said he and 11 other invited bishops “should never have been put in that position by the White House.”

ABC News - Des Moines Bishop William Joensen said the White House had taken advantage of the bishops and described the meeting as exploited “for partisan political purpose.”

ABC News - White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said, “There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it.”

ABC News - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops includes members with diverse views on Trump and his administration’s policies. Minnesota-based Bishop Robert Barron joined Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission; other bishops have denounced aspects of the administration’s immigration enforcement.

WHAT:

The Guardian - Joensen said none of the bishops was unaware that the meeting was close to an election, but none intended to endorse a party or candidate.

The Guardian - The bishops were handed commemorative tokens before being directed to pray behind Trump’s desk; Grob said they were not told a video was being recorded.

The Guardian - Trump deleted an AI-generated Truth Social image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure and said it was “supposed to be me as a doctor making people better.”

The Guardian - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held Christian worship services at the Pentagon and prayed for “overwhelming violence” against “those who deserve no mercy” in the Iran war.

The Guardian - Grob said the Heritage Foundation arranged the meeting. He said bishops were handed commemorative tokens and directed to stand behind Trump’s desk and pray.

The Guardian - Joensen said “many things tied to this present Administration” were “blatantly at odds with our Catholic faith.”

The Guardian - The White House posted the prayer video and photos with a caption describing Catholic archbishops and bishops praying with the president.

The Guardian - Trump created a White House Faith Office by executive order and a Justice Department-led task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” in federal agencies.

WISN - Grob said White House staff directed the bishops to stand behind Trump and pray after a 90-minute meeting. Videos and photos were taken, then publicly posted without the bishops’ consent.

WISN - Grob said the visit was “in no way” an endorsement of Trump, his policies, or his party, and apologized for any damage his actions caused.

ABC News - Grob and Joensen expressed regret that the meeting resulted in a publicly distributed photo of bishops praying with Trump. The White House press office did not answer whether it had received consent to release the photos and video.

ABC News - Grob said some people felt wounded because they or their families had been harmed by Trump’s policies.

WHERE:

WISN - The meeting and prayer took place at the White House, including in the Oval Office.

ABC News - Grob issued his statement through the Archdiocese of Milwaukee; Joensen is the bishop of Des Moines, Iowa.

WHEN:

WISN - Grob’s apology statement was posted on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee website on Oct. 25.

The Guardian - The bishops’ annual fall assembly was scheduled to take place in Baltimore in November, about two weeks after the election.

WISN - The meeting lasted 90 minutes.

ABC News - Grob said he received questions and comments about the meeting, which he attended with 11 other bishops on Thursday.

WHY:

The Guardian - Joensen said the meeting agenda also included fertility-treatment incentives, abortion-inducing drugs, and tax credits for private schools.

WISN - Grob said he began receiving messages of serious concern that he may have inadvertently participated in a political event less than two weeks before a national election.

WISN - Grob said he accepted the invitation to discuss matters affecting the Church and its people, including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity, and believed he might improve lives.

ABC News - The invitation offered discussion of immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, abortion, and federal tax credits for private education.

ABC News - Grob said the meeting was presented as a private discussion, with a possible opportunity to pray privately with Trump and possible appearances by Catholic cabinet members.

HOW:

The Guardian - Grob said the Heritage Foundation, described as the conservative think tank behind Project 2025, arranged the bishops’ meeting.

The Guardian - Grob said bishops received commemorative tokens before being directed to pray behind Trump’s desk.

WISN - Grob said he weighed the invitation before accepting because he believed he might improve the lives of God’s children and noted that he prayed for elected officials daily.

WISN - Grob said the administration posted meeting content without participants’ consent; the bishops had not authorized public distribution of the images or video.

ABC News - Grob said the White House publicized the meeting with photos and video. He said he had reservations and regretted not heeding them.

(UPDATED October 27, 2026 01:28 UTC)

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob apologized for joining 11 other bishops at a White House meeting where they were directed to pray behind President Trump’s desk, after video and photos were publicly posted without their consent. Grob and Des Moines Bishop William Joensen said the visit was not an endorsement of Trump or his policies, and Joensen said the meeting had been exploited for partisan political purposes; Denver Archbishop James Golka said he was heartbroken that people were hurt. The bishops said they attended to discuss issues affecting the Church, including immigration and religious freedom, while Bishop William Joensen also criticized parts of the administration’s policies as at odds with Catholic faith.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 17:04 UTC)

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob apologized for joining 11 other bishops at a White House meeting where they were directed to pray behind President Trump’s desk, after video and photos of the prayer were publicly posted without their consent. Grob and Des Moines Bishop William Joensen said they did not intend to endorse Trump or his policies, and Joensen said the meeting had been exploited for partisan purposes; Denver Archbishop James Golka said he was heartbroken that people were hurt. The bishops said they had expected private discussions on issues including immigration and religious worker visas, while U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops president Archbishop Paul Coakley urged Catholics to put faith ahead of politics.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 16:10 UTC)

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob apologized after the White House publicly shared video and photos of bishops praying with President Trump in the Oval Office, saying the images were not authorized and the meeting was not an endorsement. Grob said he and 11 other bishops had accepted an invitation to discuss issues affecting Catholics, but staff directed them to pray behind Trump after a 90-minute meeting; Des Moines Bishop William Joensen said the gathering was exploited for partisan political purposes. Denver Archbishop James Golka said he understood why people saw the video as an endorsement and was heartbroken that people were hurt, while U.S. bishops’ conference president Archbishop Paul Coakley urged Catholics to put faith ahead of politics.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 12:47 UTC)

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob apologized after White House staff directed him and 11 other bishops to stand behind President Trump and pray in the Oval Office, with photos and video later posted publicly without their consent. Grob said the visit was meant to discuss issues affecting the Church, not to endorse Trump or his policies, and that the White House should never have put the bishops in that position; Des Moines Bishop William Joensen said the meeting was exploited for partisan political purposes. The White House defended Trump’s record with Catholic Americans, while Grob said some people felt wounded because they or their families had been harmed by his policies.

(UPDATED October 26, 2026 07:31 UTC)

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob has apologized for attending a White House meeting that ended with bishops praying over President Trump, saying the gathering was publicly presented in a way he never intended to endorse. Grob said he and 11 other bishops were invited to discuss issues affecting the Church, including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, abortion, and human dignity. After a 90-minute discussion, he said White House staff directed the bishops to stand behind Trump and pray in the Oval Office. Photos and video were then posted publicly without the bishops’ consent, he said. Grob called the visit no endorsement of Trump, his policies, or his party, and apologized to people hurt by his actions. Des Moines Bishop William Joensen also said the bishops were taken advantage of for partisan political purposes. The White House defended Trump’s record with Catholic Americans.