USCCB says it did not organize Oval Office prayer meeting with Trump

USCCB says it did not organize Oval Office prayer meeting with Trump

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When a short video started circulating across social media channels on October 22, it showed an uncommon scene inside the Oval Office: a dozen U.S. Catholic bishops extending their hands in prayer over President Donald Trump. Within hours, the footage triggered an immediate scramble for distance, public apologies, and pointed questions about institutional discipline just weeks before the midterm elections.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops moved swiftly to clarify its position. This was not something that the USCCB organized. It is not affiliated with the Conference, Chieko Noguchi, a spokeswoman for the bishops conference, wrote in an email to National Catholic Reporter on Oct. 22 shortly after a White House aide shared the video on social media.

Bishops Face Backlash over Political Appearance

Critics argued that the footage risked creating the appearance of a direct political endorsement as voters prepared to head to the polls. For several of the 12 bishops who participated, the aftermath brought sharp public backlash and uncomfortable realizations about how the gathering would be packaged.

Controversy Over Trump's Prayer With Bishops; White House Accused of Exploiting Private Meet | WION

Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee offered a public apology on October 25, stating that the administration publicized the encounter without the consent of the participants. Archbishop Grob explained that he understood the meeting to be a private discussion concerning matters like immigration enforcement, religious worker visas, and human dignity.

According to Archbishop Grob, the bishops spent 90 minutes with White House domestic policy staff before being ushered into the Oval Office to greet the president, stand behind him in prayer, and pose for photographs. Unbeknownst to the participants, a video recording was also captured and subsequently distributed publicly.

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, Archbishop Grob said in his statement reported by OSV News and published via catholicreview.org.

Questions of Coordination and the Role of the Heritage Foundation

How the meeting materialized remains a point of contention. At least two participating bishops, including Bishop Scott Bullock of Rapid City, South Dakota, stated that a representative of the Heritage Foundation personally invited them to Washington. Archbishop Grob noted the gathering was one of two such meetings arranged by the conservative think tank.

Bishops apologize trump prayer
Photo: catholicreview.org

At the center of the logistical questions is Mario Enzler, identified by the White House as a Catholic liaison to the bishops. Enzler serves as a senior adviser to the president in the chief officer strategy department at the Heritage Foundation. However, Marguerite Bowling, a spokesperson for the Heritage Foundation, told National Catholic Reporter that Enzler was merely a participant and did not set up the meeting.

Enzler’s background has added another layer of scrutiny to the episode. In 2022, he resigned as dean of the Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas in Houston following faculty investigations into his academic credentials. Members of the faculty found evidence that he misrepresented a Ph.D. from an Italian music conservatory that does not offer doctoral degrees.

Institutional Prestige and the Path to Baltimore

I think they were manipulated by the White House. I really don’t think they were consciously doing this out of political motives. I think they were just naive.

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