WASHINGTON, D.C. — Since when did bowing your head in the Oval Office and asking Almighty God for guidance become a partisan offense?
If you ask Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob, joining a president in prayer is apparently fine—right up until secular critics and media scolds start clutching their pearls over the midterm elections. Then, suddenly, a sacred moment of spiritual humility is reframed as a sinister political trap.
Let’s talk about the sheer absurdity of the narrative currently echoing through the cathedral of liberal media outrage. When President Donald Trump invites religious leaders into the White House, welcomes their counsel, and bows his head in prayer, the establishment immediately sneers and cries "manipulation." Why is it that whenever a leader looks outward for divine providence and asks his fellow believers for prayer, cynics automatically assume it's a dirty political trick? Is absolute self-reliance the only acceptable posture in Washington? Or is it simply that modern secularists cannot fathom a leader admitting he depends on the will of God rather than the approval of CNN?
The real hypocrisy, however, arrived when Archbishop Grob took to public statements to issue a breathless "apology" for the sin of... praying with the President of the United States. Grob whined that photos and video of the Oval Office prayer were shared on social media without explicit consent, wringing his hands over the fact that Catholics might mistakenly think the clergy was endorsing a political candidate.
Let's pause right there. Is that harsh, defensive public rebuke from a Catholic prelate an act of Christian charity? Hardly.
If a bishop possesses the divine charisma to peer directly into the soul of the President and declare his private and public prayers to be nothing more than a cynical photo op, he must have a direct line to heaven. But if that severe, uncharitable denunciation was just ordinary human panic driven by fear of the secular press, then there are timeless, gentle, Christian ways to correct a misunderstanding. Publicly trashing the administration and accusing the White House of exploiting holy moments is not pastoral correction—it’s playing politics under a bishop's mitre.
As Denver Archbishop James Golka wisely noted when discussing the gathering, praying for elected officials is a foundational Christian duty, regardless of political disagreements. "We always pray for our country and leaders," Golka rightly observed.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers rightfully stood her ground, pointing out President Trump’s unmatched record of defending Christian liberty, protecting pro-life advocates, and pushing back against the weaponization of government against people of faith.
Archbishop Grob and his peers would do well to remember that prayer for those in authority isn't an endorsement of every single policy; it is an act of biblical obedience. Running away from a prayer circle because secular critics raised an eyebrow doesn't show spiritual backbone—it shows a church leadership terrified of its own shadow. And if that's the kind of institutional timidity passing for pastoral care these days, it's pretty clear who needs the prayers most.
