CatholicVote defends bishops who prayed over Trump
In an Oct. 25 post, CatholicVote called criticism of 12 bishops an “assault on public prayer” and said bishops should not apologize for praying over presidents.
In the Oval Office, 12 bishops prayed over President Trump, according to CatholicVote, which posted its defense on Oct. 25: bishops “are priests and pastors and should not have to apologize for praying over presidents.”1 The dispute centers on the Oct. 22 Oval Office gathering, when 12 bishops prayed with President Trump2.
The statement, signed by CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt, calls the backlash an "assault on public prayer" that "is based on a secular vision of life." It asks that the bishops be given "the space to be evaluated outside the secular political lens1." Family Brief stands with that defense: a bishop's prayer for a president is the exercise of religious liberty, and families of faith have a stake in keeping it free.
“No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders.”
Read CatholicVote’s post
CatholicVote’s original post on X is embedded below.
Bishops explain the Oval Office prayer
Archbishop James Golka, who led the prayer, told the Denver Catholic that he was asked to lead it only just before the meeting. CatholicVote’s post quotes him on the reason he prayed: “No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders.”1 Golka said the meeting was not an endorsement and that he would give the same Church teaching to a president of either party3.
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee gives a separate account of the photographs and video. He wrote that the bishops did not give permission for their public distribution. He wrote that the meeting was in no way an endorsement of the president, his policies, or his party, and he said the bishops should never have been placed in that position by the White House2. Grob said he received messages of serious concern that he might have inadvertently participated in a political event less than two weeks before a national election, and apologized for any damage his actions caused. The line the family needs to see is this: the prayer was one act, and the White House’s decision to publish it was another.
CatholicVote defends the bishops with the history of the Church engaging rulers, citing “a history without Ambrose preaching to Theodosius” and the work of John Paul II and Fr. Hugh O’Flaherty. The post then asks whether the same outrage would exist if the bishops had prayed over Obama, Biden, or George W. Bush. CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt signed the post and concluded the prayer was “a win for the faith, no matter the man in the presidential chair.”1
Faith belongs in public life
Religious conviction shapes family life and belongs in public life, too. Parents should be able to see their faith practiced by its leaders without a prayer being read as a campaign endorsement. Religious liberty is the protection behind that freedom, and it deserves defense. Colorado families are waiting on the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the state can exclude Catholic families from its universal preschool program3. The administration posted the prayer video, which many people saw as an endorsement.
Sources
- @CatholicVote on X, 2026-10-25: "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. This assault on public pra, 2026-10-25
- A Public Apology - Archbishop Jeffrey Grob
- EXCLUSIVE: Denver Archbishop James Golka Responds After Meeting with President Trump
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