Eight Catholic Bishops Pray Over Trump at the Resolute Desk, Asking God to Guard America 'Against Any Influence of Evil'

Eight Catholic bishops gathered around President Trump at the Resolute desk in the Oval Office on Thursday, some resting a hand on him, and prayed for him and for the country. Denver Archbishop James Golka led the prayer, thanking God "for the gift of our beautiful nation, the gift of our government, and the gift of this office of the presidency," EWTN News reported.

Golka asked God's blessing on the president and called on the Holy Spirit to "surround our country, to protect us against any influence of evil." He also gave thanks for "the gift of your Son, Jesus. He's right here with us. He redeems us, saves us, gives us immense mercy, guidance," per EWTN. "We lift up our president today, ask your blessing upon him," he said in the video, the National Catholic Reporter noted.

White House communications adviser Margo Martin posted the clip around 1 p.m. By evening it had passed 740,000 views on 𝕏, and the official White House account reposted it.

Who was in the room

Besides Golka, the group included Bishop Edward Burns of Dallas, Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee, Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, Bishop Michael Barber of Oakland, Bishop James Wall of Gallup, New Mexico, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, and Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon in Los Angeles, EWTN reported. Paula White-Cain, Trump's longtime spiritual adviser, also attended.

It wasn't just a photo op. The White House Faith Office set up the meeting, and its director, Jenny Korn, said the bishops and the president talked about "religious freedom, the role of the White House Faith Office, school choice, religious visas, and life policy," according to EWTN. Denver Catholic added family tax credits to that list, citing Korn. Korn called it "not politics" but "policy in action ending with meaningful prayer with and for the president."

What the archbishop said afterward

The Archdiocese of Denver put out a statement the same afternoon. "With respect for the office of the president, the Archdiocese of Denver welcomes continued conversation on the sanctity of life, from conception to natural death, and the God-given dignity of every person," it said. "We invite the faithful to pray for our nation and its leaders, trusting in Christ's mercy and guidance," the archdiocese wrote.

It also answered anyone who might call the prayer partisan before they could say it. "Praying for those in public office is a longstanding Catholic practice, rooted in St. Paul's instruction to pray for all who hold authority (1 Tim 2:1-2). It is not an endorsement of any specific candidate or party," the statement says. Think of it like a pastor praying for the mayor at a city council meeting: the prayer is for the office and the people it serves.

The grumbling, and the bigger picture

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the national body, said it had no hand in the visit. "This was not something that the USCCB organized. It is not affiliated with the Conference," spokesperson Chieko Noguchi said, per EWTN. Over at the left-leaning National Catholic Reporter, a Villanova theology professor called the meeting "an attempt to hijack the message" of the conference's leaders, NCR reported, less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms.

But the bishops didn't need anyone's permission to pray for the president, and the issues on the table are ones the church and this White House have stood together on: religious liberty, gender ideology and pro-life policy, EWTN noted.

Catholics are also one of the most contested blocs this fall. An October Pew Research Center survey found 42% of Catholic registered voters leaning toward Democratic House candidates, 39% toward Republicans and 19% undecided or backing someone else, NCR reported. That leaves a lot of Catholics still making up their minds.

It's not the first time Trump has bowed his head at that desk. In March 2025, faith leaders from the White House Faith Office surrounded him in the same spot to pray, in a White House photo. Thursday's version, with eight Catholic bishops, may be the one people remember.