CatholicVote president defends bishops who prayed over Trump: ‘They prayed as priests do’

CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt spoke out Oct. 25 in support of the bishops who recently prayed over President Donald Trump at the White House, emphasizing the importance of witnessing to the faith in public and praying for elected leaders. 

"The internet is on fire with criticism of the 12 bishops who prayed over President Trump in the Oval Office. Let me remind everyone that bishops are priests and pastors and should not have to apologize for praying over presidents," Reinhardt said in the statement shared on X. "This assault on public prayer is based on a secular vision of life — not the essential evangelization required by the Gospel.”

“Not only should we give them the space to be evaluated outside the secular political lens, they should give that grace to themselves in the face of this unwarranted criticism,” she added.

According to Denver Catholic, the bishops, including Denver Archbishop James Golka, were invited to attend a meeting, organized by the White House Faith Office, with Trump administration officials. The outlet reports that the three-hour Oct. 22 meeting covered topics including immigration issues, school choice, religious freedom, religious worker visas, and the protection of life. The bishops were also invited to briefly meet and pray with Trump in the Oval Office.

Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee, who also attended the Oct. 22 meeting, issued a public apology Oct. 25, first stating, "the meeting was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party." He said the bishops did not know a video was being taken during the prayer and did not give permission for the public distribution of photos or the video. After the White House posted the video and photos, “I soon began receiving messages of serious concern,” Archbishop Grob said, “over the possibility that I had inadvertently participated in a political event less than two weeks before a national election.”

“I also heard from some who felt wounded because of the ways they or their family had been harmed by the president’s policies,” he said. 

In offering the apology statement, the archbishop also said he hoped to provide context for his initial decision to attend the meeting, which he said was arranged by the Heritage Foundation. He said after lengthy consideration, he “ultimately felt that, if I had the opportunity to offer my voice in a way that might improve the lives of God’s children, I ought to take it. I pray for our elected officials on a daily basis, so it seemed appropriate to do so in person.” 

The archbishop said he now feels a heavy sadness, acknowledging the concerns raised with him.

“Please know that I have heard these concerns, understand how I caused them, and I apologize for any damage my actions have done,” he said. 

In comments to Denver Catholic, Archbishop Golka also shared about his consideration of the invitation. He said he saw it on one hand as an opportunity to raise important issues for the Catholic Church’s benefit, but also knew it might be upsetting for people. 

Explaining his decision to attend, Archbishop Golka said, “As I prayed about it, I thought that this is what Catholics do. We pray for people. No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders.”

In her statement, Reinhardt highlighted Archbishop Golka’s comment and emphasized historical examples of Church leaders publicly witnessing to the faith.

“Imagine the church restricting who it could dialogue with or preach to: it would be a history without Ambrose preaching to Theodosius; without John Paul II converting General Wojciech Jaruzelski on his death bed; without Fr. Hugh O’Flaherty befriending Nazi Herbert Kappler in prison,” Reinhardt said.

“The right and duty to witness to figures in authority dates back to the time of Caesar,” she continued. “Those men all did many things worse by orders of magnitude than this leader, who has also done some things exceptionally well, whatever the honest criticism of some of his policies are.”

Additionally, Reinhardt noted that she questions “the selective outrage potentially at work here,” asking, “do honest Catholics believe this outrage would exist for praying over Obama, Biden, or even George W.?”

In the past, Catholic bishops have prayed for and with political leaders on numerous occasions, which have been met with varied reactions. In 2022, Cardinal Wilton Gregory prayed with President Joe Biden for Ukraine and gave him ashes at the start of Lent that year. Controversially, Cardinal Blase Cupich offered an invocation at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Concluding her statement, Reinhardt reiterated that the bishops’ prayer was ultimately a good thing. 

“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,” she said. “Archbishop Golka was right. This IS what Catholics do.”