Catholic bishops apologized for the meeting with Trump, which was "abused".
Two Catholic bishops in America said they regret their meeting with Donald Trump, the president of the United States, at the White House. They announced their regret after photos of them praying alongside Trump surfaced, raising questions about whether they intended to make a political statement.
Photos and video of the Oct. 22 meeting show a group of bishops standing in the Oval Office of the White House, around Trump and the president's desk known as the Resolute Desk.
Jeffrey Grove, the archbishop of Milwaukee and one of the people present in the photos, said he thought the meeting was private and was not going to become "an opportunity to take a political propaganda picture." In a statement posted online, William Jansen, the bishop of Des Moines, Iowa, said the meeting was arranged by officials from the White House Office of Religious Affairs to discuss issues including immigration, issuing visas to foreigners and "exploitation of the poor and vulnerable."
Jansen said: "We had no intention of declaring our support for any political party or specific candidate by attending this meeting."
He added: "I wish I had been more alert and less naive; quite unlike those who abused our meeting for factional political purposes."
The video of this meeting was released by Margo Martin, Special Assistant to the President and White House Communications Advisor; He often shares behind-the-scenes photos and videos of Trump's activities on social media.