Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob apologized Sunday for joining other Catholic bishops in praying over President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, saying the White House publicized the Oct. 22 meeting without their consent and turned a private prayer into a political photo opportunity.
In a statement titled “A Public Apology,” posted on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee website and shared on Facebook, Grob wrote that his “intention was never to cause confusion, anger, or disappointment among the people entrusted to my care” and that the visit with the President “was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party.
Grob said he was invited in mid-September to join a group of a dozen bishops for discussions on issues including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas and human dignity. The meeting, the second of two arranged by the Heritage Foundation, was described as a private discussion in which Catholic Cabinet members might appear and the group might have an opportunity to pray privately with the president. Grob said he was not invited to the earlier June gathering.
After about 90 minutes with White House domestic policy staff and advisers, the bishops were ushered into the Oval Office. Trump greeted them, sat at his desk and gave them commemorative tokens. They were then directed to stand behind him and pray. Photos were taken, and, Grob said, a video was recorded without the bishops’ knowledge.
“Permission for the public distribution or posting of either the video or photos was not given by the bishops,” he wrote.
The White House quickly posted video and photos of the prayer. Grob said he soon received messages of “serious concern” that he had inadvertently taken part in a political event less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Some people also told him they felt wounded by the president’s policies.
“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. “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.”
Video of the Oval Office gathering, posted by White House aide Margo Martin, showed Grob and other bishops standing behind Trump as Denver Archbishop James Golka led a prayer with a hand on the president’s shoulder. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops did not organize the meeting, according to earlier reporting.
Grob, who became archbishop of Milwaukee in 2025 after serving as an auxiliary bishop in Chicago, said he decided to attend because he believed he might be able to advocate for improvements in the lives of people affected by the issues under discussion.
The White House did not immediately comment on Grob’s statement Sunday.
