Catholic bishops visit Donald Trump in the Oval Office to pray for the country two weeks before the midterm elections
The Archdiocese of Denver recalled the pastoral tradition of praying for those in authority, emphasizing the sanctity of life and the protection of institutions, two weeks before the midterm elections.
A group of U.S. Catholic bishops met on Thursday, October 22, with President Donald Trump in the White House Oval Office. During the meeting, the prelates offered a prayer of intercession led by Archbishop James Golka of Denver, asking for God's blessing on the nation and its leaders.
The White House communications team shared a video of the moment on social media, showing the religious leaders standing next to the president with their hands symbolically placed on him in a gesture of blessing. Paula White-Cain, an advisor to the Executive Office of Faith, was also present at the meeting.
"We lift up our president today; we ask for your blessing upon him," Archbishop Golka said during the invocation. The prelate called upon the Holy Spirit to "surround our country to protect us from any evil influence."
Defense of life and the sense of pastoral tradition
Following news of the meeting, the Archdiocese of Denver issued an official statement confirming the gathering and invoking the Church's institutional tradition of praying for civil authorities, citing the biblical teachings of St. Paul.
"With respect for the office of the president, the Archdiocese of Denver welcomes an ongoing conversation about the sanctity of life, from conception to natural death, and the God-given dignity of every person," the ecclesiastical jurisdiction's press release stated. The archdiocese also clarified that these spiritual gestures are standard pastoral practice and do not constitute a formal endorsement of candidates or political parties.
The meeting took place independently of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). A spokesperson for the ecclesiastical body clarified that the bishops' conference did not help organize or handle the gathering's logistics.
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