Follow-Up: White House Responds to Bishops' Prayer Controversy, Citing Trump's Record for Catholics, Declines to Answer on Consent
The White House responded on October 27 to the controversy over photographs of Catholic bishops praying with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Asked whether the bishops had consented to the release of the photos and video, the White House press office declined to answer, according to the Associated Press and the New York Post. Instead, spokeswoman Taylor Rogers cited Trump's record: '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.'
Twelve Catholic bishops prayed with Trump in the Oval Office on October 22, and the White House released photos and video less than two weeks before the November 3 midterms. Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob apologized in a public statement on October 25, saying the images were distributed without the participants' consent and that a sacred moment had been 'manipulated.' Des Moines Bishop William Joensen also distanced himself, saying the bishops never intended to endorse a party or candidate and wishing he had been 'more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes.'
Denver Archbishop James Golka, who led the prayer, struck a different note in an interview with the Denver Catholic, acknowledging concerns about the video's political implications while stressing that praying for elected officials is a longstanding Catholic practice. The meeting, arranged by the Heritage Foundation, was intended to address immigration enforcement, religious worker visas and other Catholic priorities; Grob said the bishops were unaware they were being recorded. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee declined further comment.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：特朗普2026年6月26日在白宫椭圆形办公室出席宗教自由委员会报告 presentation 时讲话（资料图，非本次主教祈祷现场）。照片：白宫官方照片，公共领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons / Photo: President Trump speaks at the Religious Liberty Commission Report presentation in the Oval Office on June 26, 2026 (file photo, not the bishops' prayer). Official White House photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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