Catholic leaders who met with President Donald Trump at the White House last week say they were unwittingly used for a political stunt ahead of the midterm elections and that images and video of the meeting were publicly distributed without their permission.

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee was among a dozen bishops invited to the Oval Office by the recently created White House Faith Office on Oct. 22. During the event, Grob and other Catholic leaders stood behind Trump and prayed for the country. Then, according to Grob, photos were taken of the group and the bishops were ushered out of the room.

“Unbeknownst to the group of bishops a video was also taken. But permission for the public distribution or posting of either the video or photos was not given by the bishops,” Grob said in a public letter published Sunday.

In his letter, Grob apologized for appearing at the White House event, which he described as a “political photo opportunity.” Grob said the event was intended for leaders to discuss issues such as immigration, human rights and reproductive healthcare, but was instead “manipulated” by the White House.

“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 wrote in his letter. “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. We should never have been put in that position by the White House.”

On Saturday, Bishop William Joensen of the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa also apologized for his attendance, saying in a statement that he wished he had been “more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes.” He said that the bishops were not aware that the meeting would be “on the cusp of a national election,” and emphasized that their involvement does not indicate an endorsement of any political party or candidate.

“There are many things tied to this present Administration that are blatantly at odds with our Catholic faith. The advance communication we received indicated that we were to have a conversation and that key officials would be interested in hearing our perspective,” Joensen wrote.

“In retrospect,” he added, “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,’” invoking a verse from the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible’s New Testament, likening himself and other faith leaders to well-meaning, vulnerable people in a hostile environment.

Shortly after the event, White House official Margo Martin shared a video of the event to social media in which one bishop can be heard praying to “surround our country to protect us against any influence of evil.”

Later that day, White House Faith Director Jennifer Korn also shared a video from the event on X, denying that it was “just a ‘photo op.’”

“These are Catholic Archbishops and Bishops who spent time talking with us about important issues on religious freedom, school choice, family tax credits, religious visas, and life,” Korn said. “They are leaders within their communities and have a seat at the table.”

When asked about the bishops’ public statements, including the accusation that published media from the meeting was distributed without their permission, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers defended Trump as a strong president for Catholics in a statement to MS NOW.

“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,” Rogers said.

The post Catholic bishops accuse White House of turning prayer with Trump into ‘political photo opportunity’ appeared first on MS NOW.

Author: Source Author

From MS Now.