Milwaukee’s archbishop has apologized for praying over President Trump in the Oval Office, saying the White House posted the moment without the bishops’ consent and turned a private visit into what looked like a political event.
Story Highlights
- Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob posted “A Public Apology” on the archdiocese website.
- He says the White House released photos and a video of the prayer without the bishops’ permission.
- He says the meeting was “in no way an endorsement” of Trump, his policies or his party.
- Grob says the bishops came to talk about immigration enforcement, religious worker visas and human dignity.
- The White House answered that no president has done more for Catholic Americans.
- Twelve bishops took part in the meeting on Thursday, October 22, which ran about 90 minutes before the prayer.
Archbishop Says Permission Was Never Given
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, who leads the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, posted his apology on Sunday, October 25. He wrote that the meeting was “publicized by the administration without the consent of the participants.” He said he got “messages of serious concern” that he had taken part in a political event less than two weeks before a national election. “I did not go without reservations. I wish I had heeded them,” he wrote.
Grob said a video was taken “unbeknownst to the group of bishops,” and that “permission for the public distribution or posting of either the video or photos was not given by the bishops.” He wrote that he feels “a heavy sadness,” both over the pain he caused and because prayer “would be manipulated in that way.” He apologized “for any damage my actions have done.”
Private Meeting Turned Into Public Moment
Grob said the bishops were invited “to discuss matters of importance to the Church and our people, including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity.” He said they were told the meeting would be a private discussion, that several Catholic members of the Cabinet might stop by, and that there could be a chance to pray privately with the president.
After about 90 minutes with White House staff, the group was brought into the Oval Office. Grob said they were asked to stand behind the president, who was seated at his desk, and pray. The White House then posted photos and video of the prayer. “We should never have been put in that position by the White House,” Grob wrote.
Bishops Reject Any Political Label
Grob made clear the prayer was not a political statement. He said the meeting was “in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies or his party.” In his telling, the bishops came to talk and to pray, not to campaign.
Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa, who also attended, put out his own statement. He said he wished he had been “more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes.”
White House Defends Its Record With Catholics
The White House did not say whether the bishops agreed to the photos and video. Spokeswoman Taylor Rogers pointed to the president’s record instead. “There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it,” she said in a statement on Monday, October 26.
Rogers said the president “stopped the weaponization of the federal government against Christians,” “proudly defended and expanded our religious rights, pardoned pro-life activists,” “stopped the chemical mutilation of our nation’s children, and protected parents’ rights.” Those are policy wins many conservative Christians have pushed for years, and the White House is standing by them.
A Consent Dispute, Not a Policy Fight
Grob’s complaint is less about the president’s agenda than about consent. His apology centers on whether a private religious moment should have been posted without asking the people in it. That is a fair concern for any White House, of any party.
The episode shows how fast images travel online, often faster than the story behind them. A prayer shared without permission can be read as an endorsement it was never meant to be, and that helps no one: not the bishops, not the White House and not the public.
Sources:
wpr.org, wisn.com, cbsnews.com, cp24.com, news8000.com, jsonline.com
