Bishops lament White House meeting that produced photo with Trump

Two Catholic bishops person expressed regret astir agreeing to a White House gathering that produced a publically distributed photograph of them praying with President Trump.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, successful a connection titled "A Public Apology," said Sunday that helium had received galore questions and comments — immoderate of them distraught — astir the gathering connected Thursday that helium and 11 different bishops attended.

He said the gathering was speedily publicized by the White House with photos and a video without consent of the participants, little than 2 weeks distant from the midterm elections.

"I consciousness a dense sadness, not lone implicit the symptom I caused, but besides for the information that thing truthful ineffable to a radical of spiritual leaders, supplication to our Heavenly Father, would beryllium manipulated successful that way," Grob said.

The bishop of Des Moines, Iowa, William Joensen, besides issued a connection making wide helium felt the White House had taken vantage of the bishops.

"I privation I had been much shrewd and little simple, similar those who exploited our gathering for partisan governmental purpose," helium wrote. "I commune I americium much prudent and omniscient going forward, adjacent arsenic I stay resolute successful my openness to engaging and praying for governmental leaders astatine each levels."

Asked whether the White House had received the bishops' consent for releasing the photos and video, the property bureau declined to answer. Instead, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers replied, "There has ne'er been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his beardown grounds proves it."

The White House invitation to the bishops, extended successful September, offered treatment astir specified issues arsenic immigration enforcement, spiritual idiosyncratic visas, abortion and the usage of national taxation credits to enactment backstage education, according to Joensen and Grob.

"The gathering was successful nary mode an endorsement of the president, his policies, oregon his party," wrote Grob. "We were told the gathering was to beryllium a backstage discussion, that respective Catholic members of the Cabinet mightiness marque an appearance, and that determination could beryllium an accidental to commune privately with the president."

"It did not instrumentality agelong thereafter for the White House to station a video and photos of the prayer," Grob said.

"I soon began receiving messages of superior interest implicit the anticipation that I had inadvertently participated successful a governmental lawsuit little than 2 weeks earlier a nationalist election," helium added. "I besides heard from immoderate who felt wounded due to the fact that of the ways they oregon their household had been harmed by the president's policies.

" ... We came successful bully religion to effort to enactment for the betterment of our chap quality beings, to easiness their suffering, to physique up the communal good, and to commune with a president, not to airs for a governmental photograph accidental to payment the few. We should ne'er person been enactment successful that presumption by the White House.  

"I did not spell without reservations. I privation I had heeded them," Grob concluded. "Please cognize that I person heard these concerns, recognize however I caused them, and I apologize for immoderate harm my actions person done."

Collectively, members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops person divers views connected Mr. Trump and his administration's policies. Minnesota-based Bishop Robert Barron, for example, agreed to service connected his Religious Liberty Commission, which was filled astir wholly with blimpish Christians. Some different bishops vehemently denounced aspects of Mr. Trump's pugnacious stance connected migration enforcement, saying it runs antagonistic to Catholic teaching.