# Catholic Bishops Apologize After White House Meeting With Trump

> Two Catholic bishops expressed regret after photos and video of them praying with President Trump were released by the White House without their consent, just before the midterm elections.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-26T16:29:31.870286Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/catholic-bishops-apologize-after-white-house-meeting-with-trump-d280cb79

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee and Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines issued public apologies last weekend, stating that a private meeting with President Donald Trump on October 22, 2026, was “exploited” by the White House for political gain [1][2][8]. The apologies followed the release of photos and a video showing twelve Catholic bishops praying with President Trump in the Oval Office, an event the bishops say occurred without their consent for public distribution less than two weeks before the November 3 midterm elections [1][5][10][27].

The incident draws attention to the difficulties religious leaders encounter when their interactions with political figures are perceived as being weaponized for electoral advantage, particularly amidst a significant decline in President Trump's approval rating among Catholic voters [5][15].

## What the records show
On October 25, 2026, Archbishop Jeffrey Grob published “A Public Apology” on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's website, expressing his “sincere regret” and “heavy sadness” [1][2]. He stated that something as sacred as prayer “would be manipulated in that way” [1][2]. Grob clarified that the meeting “was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party” [2][13]. Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines echoed these sentiments, expressing regret and stating, “I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purpose” [8]. He also said the White House “exploited the gathering for partisan purposes” [27].

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) distanced itself from the event. On October 22, 2026, a USCCB spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, confirmed, “This was not something that the USCCB organized. It is not affiliated with the conference” [14][26].

## The timeline
Twelve Catholic bishops attended a meeting with President Trump at the White House on October 22, 2026 [1][4][5][6]. The Heritage Foundation, specifically an advancement officer named Mario Enzler, organized the meeting [23][24]. Archbishop Grob stated he was invited in mid-September to discuss issues such as immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity [4][13]. Photos and a video of the bishops praying with President Trump in the Oval Office were subsequently released by the White House [1][5][10]. The release occurred less than two weeks before the U.S. midterm elections, scheduled for November 3, 2026 [7][10][11][12][19]. Archbishop Grob issued his public apology on October 25, 2026 [1][2].

## What changed and for whom
The public apologies from Archbishop Grob and Bishop Joensen indicate a shift in their public stance regarding the White House meeting, moving from participation to denouncement of the public relations strategy [1][2][8]. For the Catholic Church leadership, the incident prompted the USCCB to reiterate its non-partisan position [14][26]. For the White House, the release of the media generated accusations of political exploitation directly from religious leaders who participated in the event [1][8][27].

The event also took place against the backdrop of changing political support. A Pew Research Center survey in October 2026 showed President Trump's approval rating among all Catholics had dropped to 30%, down from 47% at the beginning of his second term [15][16][17][18].

## What the subject has said publicly
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers declined to comment directly on whether the White House received consent for the media release [9][30]. Instead, Rogers asserted, “There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it” [9][29][30]. President Trump commented on the meeting on October 23, 2026, telling reporters, “It was a great meeting. Well, they prayed. They mostly prayed. It was actually a very nice meeting. They're great. They were great people” [3][25].

## What we could not confirm
We could not confirm if the other ten bishops who attended the meeting have issued statements regarding the White House's release of photos and video [1][5][10]. The specific content of the discussions on issues such as immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity, mentioned by Archbishop Grob as reasons for the meeting, could not be confirmed beyond the archbishop's statement [4][13]. It also remains unclear whether the White House intends to issue a statement directly addressing the bishops' claims of political exploitation [9][30].

## Evidence cited
1. infovaticana.com — https://infovaticana.com/
2. Archdiocese of Milwaukee. A Public Apology - Archbishop Jeffrey Grob. Oct 25, 2026. — https://archmil.org/
3. White House releases list of bishops who met, prayed with Trump — https://ncronline.org/
4. Milwaukee Archbishop Grob issues apology for attending private meeting at White House; claims administration 'manipulated' prayer moment — https://cbs58.com/
5. Catholic Bishops Say Trump White House Released Prayer Photos Without Consent — https://petapixel.com/
6. The White House Showed Us the Prayer. What About the Bishops' Message? — https://dispatchesfromkentucky.com/
7. US midterm elections 2026: a guide to the key races, issues and stakes | US midterms | The Guardian — https://www.theguardian.com/
8. Two Bishops Slam Trump White House For “Exploiting” Their Prayer — https://newrepublic.com/
9. Bishops lament White House meeting that produced photo with Trump, say session was "manipulated" and "exploited" - CBS News — https://cbsnews.com/
10. Catholic bishops regret White House prayer photo with Trump, say it was used politically - WBAL NewsRadio 1090 and 101.5 FM — https://www.wbal.com/
11. Catholic bishops regret White House prayer photo with Trump, say it was used politically – WPLG — https://www.local10.com/
12. [Politics Monday] AP News - Catholic bishops regret White House prayer photo with Trump, say it was used politically : r/Catholicism — https://www.reddit.com/
13. Archbishop Jeffrey Grob publicly apologizes for video of President Trump meeting, says he did not give recording permission - WTMJ — https://www.wtmj.com/
14. White House releases list of bishops who met, prayed with Trump — https://www.ncronline.org/
15. Trump's approval rating falls among Catholics — https://www.thetablet.co.uk/
16. Catholic approval of Donald Trump falls to 30 per cent - Ad Vaticanum — https://advaticanum.com/
17. Catholic voters sour on Trump, Pew survey finds — https://www.americamagazine.org/
18. American Catholics not a monolith - The Catholic Sun — https://www.catholicsun.org/
19. 2026 United States elections - Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/
20. North Carolina 2026 Elections — https://www.ncsbe.gov/
21. 2026 Midterm Elections | BallotReady — https://ballotready.org/
22. United States Congress elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/
23. Trump meeting with bishops organized by Heritage Foundation official — https://www.pillarcatholic.com/
24. News from Letters from Leo: An Apology — https://thelettersfromleo.com/
25. Bishops Face Scrutiny After Viral Trump Prayer Video — https://www.ncregister.com/
26. Catholic bishops pray over Trump days before midterms — https://religionnews.com/
27. Archbishop Regrets Trump Prayer Photo, Saying White House 'Manipulated' Sacred Moment Without Bishops' Consent — https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/
28. 'I apologize for any damage': Milwaukee Archbishop addresses backlash following White House visit, says prayer was 'manipulated' | Fox 96.9 (WWWX-FM) — https://www.fox969.com/
29. White House prayer meeting raises questions for bishops, Trump, Catholics — https://www.catholicreview.org/
30. Catholic bishops regret White House prayer photo with Trump, say it was used politically | TribLIVE.com — https://www.triblive.com/
31. ibtimes.co.uk — https://ibtimes.co.uk/
32. dmdiocese.org — https://dmdiocese.org/
33. premierchristian.news — https://premierchristian.news/
34. Catholic bishops regret White House prayer photo with Trump, say it was used politically – WPLG — https://clickondetroit.com/
35. catholicnewsworld.com — https://catholicnewsworld.com/
36. Catholic bishops gather around President Donald Trump to pray in the Oval Office at the White House on Oct. 22, 2026. (Photo: Margo Martin, Special Assistant to the President and Communications Advisor / Screen Capture). Jonah McKeownNation October 23, 2026. Twelve bishops who participated in a prayer meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office — a brief video of which went viral on Thursday — are facing criticism for agreeing to appear with Trump so close to a contentious midterm ele — https://ncregister.com/
37. Catholic bishops regret White House prayer photo with Trump, say it was used politically — https://kens5.com/
38. Archbishop Jeffrey Grob publicly apologizes for video of President Trump meeting, says he did not give recording permission - WTMJ — https://wtmj.com/
39. It was actually a very nice meeting. They're great. They were great people.” A White House official told OSV News that attendees at the meeting were Archbishops James R. Golka of Denver and Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee; Archbishop Emeritus Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas; Bishops Edward J. Burns of Dallas, James S. Wall of Gallup, New Mexico, Steven J. Raica of Birmingham, Alabama, Thomas J. Hennen of Baker, Oregon, Michael C. Barber ... Mario Enzler was also listed as an attendee by th — https://catholicreview.org/
40. US Conference of Catholic Bishops says not linked to Trump prayer event — https://vanguardngr.com/
41. Trump holds rallies in Florida, 11 days until midterms (CNN) — https://cnn.com/