Catholic bishops apologise for 'exploited' Trump meeting

ByBernd Debusmann Jr White House reporter.

Key points

• Both Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are Catholics who have visited the Vatican during Trump's second term.
• Photos and video of the 22 October session show a group of bishops standing around Trump at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.
• According to Archbishop Grob, after 90 minutes of meetings with office-holders, the religious leaders were ushered into the Oval Office to pray with Trump.
• The US Conference of Catholic Bishops additionally lately condemned the Trump administration's intends to livestream a military execution.
• Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, one of those pictured, remarked he had believed the gathering was private and not "a political photo opportunity".

After images of them praying with him were published and prompted numerous to ask if they were making a political statement, two Catholic bishops in the US have remarked they regret gathering President Donald Trump at the White House.

Trump and Pope Leo XIV have a contentious relationship, and some US bishops have criticised the administration's immigration policies. But Trump has typically enjoyed the backing of Catholic voters.

In an official note posted online, Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa, remarked the gathering was arranged by authorities with the White House Faith Office to discuss matters including immigration, visas for international clergy and the "exploitation of vulnerable poor persons".

"In no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate, " Joensen remarked.

"I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes, " he continued.

Meanwhile, a video of the session was issued by Margo Martin, a special assistant to the president and communications adviser who frequently shares behind-the-scenes images of Trump on social media.

Grob remarked images of the gathering afterwards caused concern among some of his congregants.

"I soon began receiving messages of serious concern over the possibility that I had inadvertently participated in a political event less than two weeks before a national election, " he wrote.

"I also heard from some who felt wounded because of the ways they or their family have been harmed by the president's policies, " he continued.

Grob remarked none of the participants in the gathering offered permission for the public distribution or posting of video or photos of the event.

When contacted for comment by the BBC, the White House did not directly address questions regarding the session or subsequent comments by the two bishops.

"There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it, " White House Spokeswoman Taylor Rogers remarked in an official note.

According to Pew Research Center. It analyses religion in the US, opinions of Trump's performance have slipped among all major religious groups. In a survey this month, 30% of all US Catholics remarked they approved of his job performance, compared to 47% when he returned to the White House in 2025.

That could have an effect on the 3 November midterm elections. It will decide control of Congress. More Catholics in the survey, 42%, remarked they preferred the Democrats running in their local House of Representatives races, where slightly less, 39% favoured Republicans.

As he has moved aggressively to remove individuals believed to be in the US illegally, during his second term, Trump has had a tense relationship with the head of the Catholic church, Pope Leo.

Nine days before the Oval Office session with the bishops took place, Bishop Brendon Cahill and Walter Kim, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, issued a statement urging "Christian compassion and wisdom in the immigration debate".

They remarked the immigration clampdown has led to the "sowing of fear, the fracturing of families, the deprivation of due process, and the vilification of our neighbors."

Meanwhile, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops additionally lately condemned the Trump administration's intends to livestream a military execution. It were afterwards scrapped.

As did former New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, a Midwestern member of the bishops' conference, Robert Barron of Minnesota, agreed to serve on the president's Religious Liberty Commission last year.

For now, catholic bishops apologise for ' exploited' Trump meeting remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.