Politics · October 25, 2026
Top Catholic Issues Humiliating Apology for Praying Over Trump
Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob and Des Moines Bishop William Joensen have expressed regret following an October 22 meeting at the White House where they and 10 other bishops were photographed and filmed praying over President Donald Trump. Archbishop Grob characterized the event's publication as a manipulation of a sacred moment for political purposes, while Bishop Joensen stated the group had been exploited. The meeting, which the bishops understood to be private, was organized by the Heritage Foundation and publicized by the White House shortly before the midterm elections without the participants' consent.
Read the original coverage
- The Daily BeastMBFC: Left
Top Catholic Issues Humiliating Apology for Praying Over Trump
Read at The Daily Beast ↗ - ABC NewsMBFC: Left-Center
Catholic bishops regret White House prayer photo with Trump, say it was used politically
Read at ABC News ↗ - Washington TimesMBFC: Right-Center
Catholic bishops regret White House prayer photo with Trump, say it was used politically
Read at Washington Times ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob and other bishops met with President Donald Trump on October 22.
- The White House publicized images and video of the bishops praying over the President.
- Archbishop Grob issued a statement expressing regret and an apology for the incident.
- The bishops stated they did not consent to the public distribution of the prayer footage.
- The meeting took place shortly before the midterm elections.
Reported by only some outlets
- Archbishop Grob claimed the meeting was organized by the pro-Trump Heritage Foundation.
- Des Moines Bishop William Joensen also issued a statement expressing regret.
- Grob stated he was under the impression the meeting would be private.
- A total of 12 bishops attended the meeting.
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
characterize the apology as 'humiliating' and describe the event as a 'publicity stunt' where faith leaders were 'duped' by the administration.
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
briefly report the regret of the bishops regarding the political use of the photo without additional embellishment.
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
About these outlets
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