Iowa bishop says White House prayer meeting was twisted into Trump propaganda
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Bishop William Joensen and Archbishop Jeffrey Grob said a White House gathering of Catholic bishops was presented as a private prayer session, then turned into a staged political spectacle for Donald Trump.
Bishop William Joensen of the Diocese of Des Moines said the Oct. 22 meeting of 12 bishops at the White House was never meant to serve as an endorsement of any political party, even though it took place during early voting for the midterm elections. Joensen said the delegation was told that "key officials" wanted to hear from clergy and described the invitation as a chance to discuss Gospel teachings on contemporary issues rather than to be folded into campaign-style optics.
Joensen added that many actions of the Trump administration run counter to Catholic doctrine and said he regretted that the meeting was later exploited for partisan purposes. He said he wishes he had been more cautious and hopes to engage political leaders more prudently in the future.
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob said the Heritage Foundation organized the visit, which the bishops expected to be a private discussion and a chance to pray with President Donald Trump. After meeting White House staff, the bishops entered the Oval Office, where Trump greeted them, handed out commemorative tokens, and directed them to stand behind him for a prayer that was photographed.
"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," Grob said.
A video of the prayer was posted on social media by a Trump communications adviser without the participants' consent, according to Grob. He said the bishops were placed inside a political setting they never intended to support.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers responded that "there has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans" than Trump, while sidestepping the bishops' concerns entirely.