WASHINGTON — An Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and a dozen U.S. bishops less than two weeks before the midterm elections prompted controversy among some Catholic commentators, who characterized tension points between Church teaching on human life and dignity and some of the Trump administration’s policies as the elephant in the room.
John White, a professor of politics at The Catholic University of America in Washington, told OSV News that a video circulated by the White House of the meeting showing the bishops praying over Trump, so close to the Nov. 3 elections, risks creating the appearance of a “tacit endorsement.” But he called it “notable” that a number of bishops distanced themselves from the meeting through more official channels.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has long held that it will not endorse or oppose specific candidates for public office, instead referring Catholics to its document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” as a guide for discerning their choices at the ballot box. Chieko Noguchi, a spokesperson for the USCCB, told OSV News the organization had no role in the meeting.
After video footage of the meeting was circulated by the White House, Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee, one of the attendees at the meeting, on Oct. 25 offered a public apology and said the meeting was “publicized by the administration without the consent of the participants.” He said the bishops did not give permission for public distribution or posting of either the photos or the video, which he added was filmed “unbeknownst” to them.
“Please know that my intention was never to cause confusion, anger, or disappointment among the people entrusted to my care,” he said, adding the meeting was “in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party.”
“I feel a heavy sadness, not only over the pain I caused, but also for the fact that something so sacred to a group of religious leaders, prayer to our Heavenly Father, would be manipulated in that way,” he said. “We came in good faith to try to work for the betterment of our fellow human beings, to ease their suffering, to build up the common good, and to pray with a president, not to pose for a political photo opportunity to benefit the few. We should never have been put in that position by the White House.”
In a similar statement, Bishop William M. Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa, said, “There are many things tied to this present Administration that are blatantly at odds with our Catholic faith. The advance communication we received indicated that we were to have a conversation and that key officials would be interested in hearing our perspective.”
“None of us bishops were unaware that our meeting was on the cusp of a national election,” he said. “Yet in no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate. That said, in retrospect, I would have done well to be more mindful of Jesus’ admonition: ‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves’ (Matthew 10:16). I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes. I pray I am more prudent and wise going forward, even as I remain resolute in my openness to engaging and praying for political leaders at all levels.”
White argued that from the White House’s perspective it was certainly “a campaign event.”
“It was designed to be that and to be promoted as such, in an attempt to win the Catholic vote at a time when Trump is losing the Catholic vote for a whole lot of reasons,” he said.
The meeting came shortly after a recent survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found Trump’s approval rating among U.S. Catholics has dropped from 47% at the beginning of his second term to 30% in October 2026.
It also came just weeks after many U.S. bishops strongly objected to a proposed and later canceled livestream of a military execution, and amid the ongoing war in Iran, which Pope Leo XIV has rebuked.
Some of the Trump administration’s immigration policies have also prompted criticism from the U.S. bishops, notably “indiscriminate” mass deportations or policies that separate families.
The timing for the meeting was also poor, White argued, as controversy swirled about Trump and Vice President JD Vance embracing a controversial ad in Ohio’s closely watched gubernatorial election.
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy faced bipartisan criticism of his campaign’s ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton, calling her daughter a liar. Acton’s biological mother lost custody of her children after her husband, Acton’s stepfather, was indicted in 1978 for raping Acton, who was 10-12 years old during the abuse. Acton and her brother have said their mother, whose rap sheet includes felony theft and animal neglect, sided with their stepfather, who had another incest accusation from 1974, and the pair fled Ohio to evade justice.
“To say that that’s not a good look is an understatement,” White said.
Kevin Appleby, senior fellow for policy and communications at the Center for Migration Studies of New York and the former director of migration policy for the USCCB, told OSV News that he hopes the bishops in attendance had the opportunity to express concern about “the treatment of immigrants, especially the separation of families and the detention of children and pregnant women.”
Appleby also pointed to a lawsuit earlier in October filed by the Archdiocese of St. Louis against the federal government over a policy it said prohibits priests from distributing Communion and hearing confessions to people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for alleged immigration-related violations.
That lawsuit is among the areas where Catholic leaders have said religious liberty challenges intersected with immigration issues, such as reduced restrictions on long-standing restrictions on ICE agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals.
“Pastoral access to detainees is also a big issue which the president could correct with a phone call,” Appleby said. “It would be unfortunate for them to take a photo opportunity without raising these issues affecting their flock.”
White House Faith Director Jenny Korn wrote in a post on X that the meeting included discussions “on religious freedom, school choice, family tax credits, religious visas, and life,” and rejected characterization of the meeting as a “photo op.”
“They are leaders within their communities and have a seat at the table,” she said.
Denver Archbishop James R. Golka later told the Denver Catholic, the archdiocesan news outlet, “Though I originally thought it would be a private meeting, I knew that it could be shared and that some might use it for political purposes.”
“But as I prayed about it, I thought that this is what Catholics do. We pray for people. No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders,” he said.
Archbishop Golka said that he understands “that many people saw the video, posted by the Administration twelve days before an election, as an endorsement.”
“That was never my intention,” he said. “The bishops of the United States teach that the Church cannot champion any candidate or party. I hold to that. However you vote, you ultimately belong to Jesus who loves you infinitely more than you can imagine.”
The second Trump administration’s record on life issues has been met with mixed reception from pro-life leaders, who lauded his signature on a bill that stripped some taxpayer funds from Planned Parenthood for one year. That funding has since resumed.
But they also objected to the Trump administration’s approval of a new generic form of mifepristone, a drug commonly used for first trimester abortion, but which is also used more recently in some miscarriage care protocols. The first Trump administration approved the only other generic on the market in the U.S., which made mifepristone cheaper to obtain.
Pro-life groups have also expressed frustration that the Trump administration has asked multiple judges to pause state lawsuits — including a notable one from Louisiana — seeking to roll back the Biden administration’s eased restrictions on mifepristone. The Trump administration has thus far left that regulation in effect while seeking to block challenges to it pending a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.
In a court filing earlier in October, the FDA said its safety review is expected to stretch into next year, well after the midterm elections.
The midterm elections are scheduled for Nov. 3, and early voting is already underway in many states. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the USCCB, issued a statement Oct. 14 reminding the faithful that “for citizens in a representative democracy such as our own, participation in public life — including voting — is both a right and a responsibility.”
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
