Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob has publicly apologized for taking part in an Oct. 22 White House meeting that ended with him and 11 other Catholic bishops praying over President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, saying the gathering was twisted into a political spectacle he never agreed to. Grob said he was invited in mid-September to join a group of bishops for what he understood would be a private conversation about immigration enforcement, religious worker visas and human dignity — not a staged moment behind the president's desk.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Grob and other bishops were told the meeting would be private, that several Catholic Cabinet members might appear, and that they might have a chance to pray privately with Trump. Grob said he weighed the opportunity to improve people's lives before deciding to attend, and that he prays for elected officials daily. Still, he said he did not go without reservations, telling the public, “I did not go without reservations. I wish I had heeded them,” according to the National Catholic Reporter.
From Private Briefing to Oval Office Photo Op
Grob said he met with White House staff and advisors before being brought into the Oval Office, where Trump greeted the bishops and handed out commemorative tokens, per the Journal Sentinel's reporting. Then, Grob said, the group was directed to stand behind the president and pray — a moment he says was never meant to become public. The National Catholic Reporter reports Grob described the episode as being “manipulated” by the White House into a “political photo opportunity.”
Grob said the bishops did not know a video of the gathering was being recorded, and that permission for public distribution of the video or photos was never given, according to Independent Catholic News. Despite that, a clip of the prayer circulated widely; the Journal Sentinel reports a post of the moment on X by Margo Martin had been viewed roughly 1.8 million times. “I apologize for any damage my actions have caused,” Grob said, per the same National Catholic Reporter account, adding that bishops “should never have been put in that position by the White House.”
Apology Posted as Early Voting Was Underway
Grob published his apology, titled A Public Apology, on Facebook and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's website, writing that his intention was never to cause confusion, anger or disappointment among the people entrusted to his care. The timing mattered: Wisconsin had already begun early voting on Oct. 20, two days before the meeting, and the midterm elections are set for Nov. 3 across the country, per the Journal Sentinel. Grob said he received messages from people worried he had inadvertently taken part in a political event less than two weeks before a national election, and that some felt wounded because they or their families had been harmed by the president's policies.
Grob insisted the meeting was not an endorsement of the president, his policies or his party, and said his sadness stemmed from both the pain he caused and what he described as the manipulation of prayer itself. Denver Archbishop James Golka, who led the intercession with his hand on Trump's shoulder, echoed that he also had reservations about attending and did not intend the video to serve as an endorsement, according to Denver Catholic. The Archdiocese of Denver separately noted that praying for public officials is a longstanding Catholic practice and “is not an endorsement of any specific candidate or party.”
Who Organized the Meeting Remains Disputed
Accounts conflict over who actually arranged the gathering. Denver Catholic reported the meeting was organized by the White House Faith Office rather than the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in an exclusive interview with Golka. Independent Catholic News, however, reported the meeting was the second of two such gatherings arranged by the Heritage Foundation, with the first having taken place in June 2026 — a meeting Grob was not invited to. America Magazine reported the event was attributed to Heritage Foundation official Mario Enzler, though Heritage pushed back, stating, “Heritage didn't organize this meeting. Mario Enzler was there, but he didn't set anything up.”
Other bishops who attended came from Rapid City, South Dakota; Dallas, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; and Birmingham, Alabama, along with a retired bishop of Kansas City, according to the Journal Sentinel's reporting. White House personnel took several photos before ushering the bishops out, the paper reported, and the Journal Sentinel said it reached out to the White House for further comment on Grob's claim that the visit was manipulated.
White House Defends Trump's Record With Catholics
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers defended the president's standing with Catholic Americans, saying Trump has a strong record of defending Catholic Americans and their rights. Rogers said Trump stopped what she characterized as weaponization of the federal government against Christians, pardoned pro-life activists and protected parents' rights, according to the National Catholic Reporter. “There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump,” Rogers said.
The controversy lands amid shifting political sentiment among Catholic voters. An October Pew Research Center survey cited by the National Catholic Reporter found 42% of Catholic registered voters favored Democratic House candidates compared with 39% favoring Republicans, with 19% undecided or backing another candidate. A separate Pew survey, reported by OSV News, found Trump's approval rating among U.S. Catholics fell from 47% at the start of his second term to 30% by October 2026. The Pillar reported the meeting drew sharp criticism given its proximity to the midterms, noting Democrats were widely expected to win control of the House while control of the Senate remained closely contested.
The Oct. 22 meeting also stretched well beyond the prayer that went viral. Grob and Golka both said the prayer represented only a brief portion of a three-hour session, and Denver Catholic reported the discussion covered immigration issues including religious worker visas, the protection of life, religious freedom and school choice. Golka maintained the meeting was not meant to be a political endorsement, even as the apology from Grob made clear the fallout from the prayer video had reached well beyond the Oval Office.
