According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on October 26, two Catholic bishops in the United States said they “regretted” meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Previously, images of them praying with Trump were made public, and many questioned whether their actions constituted political statements.
Photos and videos taken on October 22 show a group of bishops standing around the Oval Office ‘Stearns Table’, surrounding Trump. One of the individuals in the photos, Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, said he thought it was a private meeting, not a ‘political photo shoot’.
Trump has a strained relationship with Pope Leo XIV, and some American bishops have also criticized the White House's stance on immigration. The Pew Research Center, which specializes in analyzing the religious situation in the United States, shows that Trump won the support of 55% of Catholic voters in 2024.
William Jonason, Bishop of Des Moines in Iowa, issued a statement online stating that the meeting was arranged by officials from the White House Faith Office. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues such as immigration, international clergy visas, and the exploitation of “vulnerable poor individuals”.
"Johnesen said: 'We will not participate in any way whatsoever if anyone of us is required to endorse any political party or any individual candidate.'"
He added, “I really wish I had been more astute and less naive back then, instead of being used by those who exploit our meetings for partisan political purposes.”
The meeting video was released by President's Special Assistant and Communication Advisor Margo Martin, who often shares behind-the-scenes footage of Trump on social media.
Archbishop Grobb said that 90 minutes after meeting with officials, religious leaders were brought to the Oval Office to pray with Trump; the footage of the meeting later caused concerns among the faithful in his diocese.
He wrote: “I soon began to receive some messages expressing serious concern about my possibly inadvertent involvement in political activities less than two weeks before the national elections.”
He added, “I also heard some people say that they felt hurt because their or their family members were harmed by the presidential policy.” Groebl stated that all participants in the meeting did not agree to the public release of video or photographs of the event.
White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said in a statement: “For Catholic Americans, there has never been a better president than President Trump, and his strong record proves this.”
The Pew Research Center stated that evaluations of Trump’s performance have declined among all major religious groups. A survey conducted this month showed that only 30% of American Catholics approved of his work, while in 2025, when he returned to the White House, that figure was 47%.
During his second term in office, Trump had tense relations with Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, as he actively expelled those who were considered to be illegal residents in the United States.
In the presence of Trump and bishops, Bishop Brendan Cardinal Callahan and president of the National Association of Evangelicals Walter Kin made a statement urging “to display Christian compassion and wisdom in immigration debates.” They said that immigration enforcement actions resulted in “planting fear, family separation, stripping due process, and demonizing neighbor groups.”
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are both Catholics. They visited the Vatican during Trump's second term in office.
