US bishops regret Trump meeting after Oval Office images circulate

Politics · First reported 26 Oct, 15:39 · Updated 19:06

Two Catholic bishops said they regretted meeting President Donald Trump after images of them praying with him at the White House prompted questions about whether the gathering signalled political support. Archbishop Jeffrey Grob said he believed the meeting was private; Bishop William Joensen said participants did not intend to endorse a party or candidate.

Photos and video showed bishops standing around Trump at the Resolute Desk during an Oval Office meeting on 22 October.
Grob said he understood the meeting to be private and not a political photo opportunity; he said the images caused concern among some congregants.
Joensen said White House Faith Office officials arranged the meeting to discuss immigration, visas for international clergy and other issues. He said the bishops did not intend to endorse a party or candidate.
Grob said participants had not given permission for the photos or video to be publicly distributed. The White House did not directly address the BBC’s questions about the meeting, but a spokesperson praised Trump’s record with Catholic Americans.
The Financial Times headline characterises the episode as an accusation that Trump manipulated bishops for political gain; the Daily Caller headline describes the prayer as a political stunt.

Summary written by Lux AI from 3 articles

Key facts

Meeting date: 22 October
Location: The Oval Office at the White House
Bishops named: Archbishop Jeffrey Grob and Bishop William Joensen
Meeting length before prayer: Grob said the bishops had 90 minutes of meetings with officials before being ushered into the Oval Office to pray with Trump.
White House response: A spokesperson praised Trump’s record with Catholic Americans; the White House did not directly address the questions about the meeting.