Catholic bishops apologise for 'exploited' Trump meeting

BBC and Time report that two Catholic bishops, Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee and Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, have publicly expressed regret over an Oval Office session with President Donald Trump. A prayer from that gathering, filmed and circulated by the White House less than two weeks before the midterms, struck many viewers as a political signal. Both prelates say it was nothing of the kind and that their goodwill was used for partisan ends, according to Time · BBC.

Grob maintains the bishops expected a private conversation and never approved sharing the footage or photos. Time adds that he was invited by the Heritage Foundation, and that the clip drew over 1. 8 million views on X alone. Joensen says White House Faith Office staff set up talks on immigration and visas for foreign clergy. Time reports that Archbishop James Golka of Denver, who led the prayer, says he was simply acting as a priest.

The White House did not directly answer questions about consent. Spokeswoman Taylor Rogers instead said Trump has done more for Catholic Americans than any predecessor. Time adds that the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says it had no part in organizing the meeting.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Time · BBC and Time’s reporting. Read the full story at Time · BBC → Also at Time →