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The meeting, which was reported to have been organized by Mario Enzler of the Heritage Foundation, though the Foundation said that was not the case, was billed as a conversation about issues important to Catholic voters.
The bishops were invited to “discuss matters of importance to the Church and our people, including immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity,” according to attendee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee.
After this discussion, which was held privately, the bishops were invited to pray with the president in the Oval Office. Others were present, including Paula White-Cain, an evangelical pastor who serves as Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office, which the president established last year. A photo and video of that prayer were shared online, initially by White House staff. At least two of the bishops said they did not consent to the images being shared.
As the event took place just 12 days before crucial U.S. midterm elections, the online reaction quickly became a firestorm of controversy and criticism.
A U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, told media sources that the meeting was “not affiliated with the conference.”
The bishops and their reactions
The White House meeting on October 22 included the following American Catholic prelates (those in red are the ones whose positions have been noted in this article):
Archbishop James Golka of Denver
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee
Retired Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas
Bishop Edward Burns of Dallas
Bishop James Wall of Gallup, New Mexico
Bishop Steven Raica of Birmingham, Alabama
Bishop Thomas Hennen of Baker, Oregon
Bishop Michael Barber of Oakland, California
Bishop Scott Bullock of Rapid City, South Dakota
Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, Iowa
Bishop Francis Kalabat of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle in Detroit
Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles
Archbishop Grob issued a public apology. In his October 25 statement, he said in part:
The meeting was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party ... Permission for the public distribution or posting of either the video or photos was not given by the bishops ...
We should never have been put in that position by the White House. I did not go without reservations. I wish I had heeded them. Please know that I have heard these concerns, understand how I caused them, and I apologize for any damage my actions have done.
Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines spoke of regretting his decision to participate in the event, saying in a statement:
There are many things tied to this present Administration that are blatantly at odds with our Catholic faith...
None of us bishops were unaware that our meeting was on the cusp of a national election. Yet in no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate.
That said, in retrospect, 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” (Matthew 10:16).
I wish I had been more shrewd and less simple, like those who exploited our meeting for partisan political purposes. I pray I am more prudent and wise going forward...
Archbishop James Golka of Denver, who led the prayer, released information about the meeting the day it occurred. See Aleteia's initial report from that information here. He has since further clarified his intentions and said he was "heartbroken" in an exclusive interview with Denver Catholic, in which he said:
I understand that many people saw the video, posted by the Administration twelve days before an election, as an endorsement. That was never my intention.
The bishops of the United States teach that the Church cannot champion any candidate or party. I hold to that. However you vote, you ultimately belong to Jesus who loves you infinitely more than you can imagine...
I’m heartbroken that people are hurt, and that there are people intentionally using this moment to sow disunity.
Bishop Scott Bullock of Rapid City, South Dakota, meanwhile, told the National Catholic Reporter in an interview that the bishops' decision to attend was motivated by Scripture rather than electoral politics, saying, “I'm going to work pretty hard to divorce it from the midterm elections because that's not why we went there.”
A spokesperson for retired Archbishop Joseph Naumann also clarified his position, telling RNS on October 26, "The bishops were assured that no photographs would be made public. They came to have a discussion on important policy matters."
Meanwhile the current archbishop of the Kansas City archdiocese, Archbishop Shawn McKnight, told OSV, “Archbishop Emeritus Naumann’s attendance to the White House on October 22 was done on his own behalf. His actions and presence at that event were not representative of myself or the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.”
Other reactions
When asked whether the bishops consented to releasing the photos and video of the event, the White House press office did not respond directly, but spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, "There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it."
For his part, Trump, asked about the meeting on October 23, said: "It was a great meeting. Well, they prayed. They mostly prayed. It was actually a very nice meeting. They're great. They were great people."
Kelsey Reinhardt, president of the advocacy group Catholic Vote, defended the meeting with a statement on October 25: "These men were there as priests and they prayed as priests do. That is a win for the faith, no matter the man in the presidential chair."
A Pew research study posted October 20 found that 67% of Catholics disapprove of Trump's job performance.