The White House on Monday defended President Donald Trump after Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob publicly apologized for taking part in an Oval Office prayer with the president. Grob accused the administration of using the religious gathering for political purposes less than two weeks before the midterm elections.
In a statement issued Sunday under the title “A Public Apology,” Grob alleged that the White House released photographs and video of Thursday’s prayer without obtaining permission from the 12 participating bishops. He said the administration had turned a sacred occasion into a political tool.
Grob said Catholics had contacted him with concerns that the prayer could be interpreted as an endorsement of a political candidate. He acknowledged that he had hesitated before attending and apologized for the distress his participation caused.
“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.”
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers responded to Grob’s apology by highlighting Trump’s record on religious liberty and issues important to Catholic Americans in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it: he stopped the weaponization of the federal government against Christians, proudly defended and expanded our religious rights, pardoned pro-life activists, stopped the chemical mutilation of our nation’s children, and protected parents’ rights,” she said.
The meeting was arranged by the Heritage Foundation and focused on immigration enforcement, religious worker visas and other priorities important to the Catholic Church, according to Grob.
After a 90-minute conversation with White House domestic policy officials and advisers, the bishops went to the Oval Office. Trump presented them with commemorative tokens, and the group then prayed together. Grob said the bishops did not know the prayer was being recorded on video.
Des Moines Bishop William Joensen also objected to the publicity surrounding the meeting in a statement released Saturday. He said the bishops had not intended to endorse a political party or candidate.
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“None of us bishops were unaware that our meeting was on the cusp of a national election. Yet in no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate,” he said.
“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.”
Denver Archbishop James Golka, who led the prayer, addressed the controversy in an interview with the Denver Catholic. While acknowledging concerns about the video’s political impact, Golka said praying for public officials has long been part of Catholic practice.
“I wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, it was a great opportunity to raise important issues for the Church’s benefit,” he said. “On the other hand, I knew people might be upset. 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,” he continued. “We pray for people. No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders.”
The dispute comes as Catholic leaders continue to clash with the Trump administration over several policies, especially its approach to immigration.
In February 2025, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops sued the administration over its decision to suspend refugee resettlement funding.
At the same time, other prominent Catholic figures have called for continued dialogue with the administration. Bishop Robert Barron, a member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, warned in a May interview with Fox News Digital against demonizing the president despite disagreements over immigration and other issues.
“What I don’t want from the church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration,” he said.
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee declined to provide additional comment when contacted by Fox News Digital.