Catholic bishops apologise for 'exploited' Trump meeting

Two Catholic bishops in the US have said they regret meeting President Donald Trump at the White House, after images of them praying with him were released and prompted many to ask if they were making a political statement.

Photos and video of the 22 October meeting show a group of bishops standing around Trump at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, one of those pictured, said he had believed the meeting was private and not "a political photo opportunity".

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 support of Catholic voters.

In a statement posted online, Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa, said the meeting was arranged by officials with the White House Faith Office to discuss issues 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 said.

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

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

Archbishop Grob said that after 90 minutes of meetings with officials, the religious leaders were ushered into the Oval Office to pray with Trump.

Grob said images of the meeting later 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 added.

Grob said none of the participants in the meeting gave 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 meeting 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 said in a statement.

According to Pew Research Center, which 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 said 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, which will decide control of Congress. More Catholics in the survey, 42%, said they preferred the Democrats running in their local House of Representatives races, where slightly less, 39% favoured Republicans.

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

Nine days before the Oval Office meeting 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 said 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."

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops also recently condemned the Trump administration's plans to livestream a military execution, which were later scrapped.

Both Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are Catholics who have visited the Vatican during Trump's second term.

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