Two Catholic bishops expressed regret over White House images of their Oval Office prayer
Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob and Des Moines Bishop William Joensen expressed regret after the White House posted images and video of them praying with Trump. Both said they believed the meeting was private. Joensen said the White House exploited the gathering for partisan purposes; The Associated Press reported they were the only two of 12 bishops present to express regret.
More context
Two Catholic bishops have expressed regret after the White House posted photos and video of them praying with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob and Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines said they believed the meeting would be private, according to reports. Grob published a statement titled “A Public Apology” on the Archdiocese of Milwaukee website, apologizing for the confusion, anger and hurt his participation caused. He said the prayer moment had been manipulated; Joensen described the White House’s use of the gathering as serving partisan ends. AP noted no other members of the 12-bishop group had publicly voiced regret. It also reported that the invitation listed abortion and federal tax credits for private education as topics. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said it did not organize the meeting.
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Reporting
- BBC News — Catholic bishops apologise for 'exploited' Trump meeting
- The Guardian — Catholic bishops accuse Trump White House of turning prayer into campaign photo op
- baptistnews.com — Catholic bishops take heat for praying over Trump
- ibtimes.co.uk — Archbishop Regrets Trump Prayer Photo, Saying White House 'Manipulated' Sacred Moment Without Bishops' Consent | IBTimes UK
- thelettersfromleo.com — Des Moines Bishop Says White House Exploited Trump Prayer Photo Op as Two of Twelve Now Express Regret
Verifier’s note
BBC News directly reports that two bishops said they believed the meeting was private. Baptist News and The Guardian also report that two bishops apologized or expressed regret over the same Trump meeting; IBTimes UK and The Letters from Leo describe the same development but attribute their reporting to AP.