两名曾参与在椭圆形办公室与总统特朗普共同祈祷的美国天主教神职人员公开发表声明，对此次会面被用于党派政治宣传表示后悔，并谴责白宫将私人宗教活动转化为竞选素材 12。事件核心人物包括密尔沃基总主教 Jeffrey Grob 和爱荷华州得梅因主教 William Joensen，他们强调该次互动绝无背书任何政党或候选人的意图 12。Joensen 明确表示：“我们绝无通过参与此次会议来背书任何政党或候选人的意图。” 2 这一争议发生在距离 2025 年 11 月 3 日中期选举仅约两周的时间节点，具体会议日期为 10 月 22 日 12。
涉事主教指出，这次由保守派智库“传统基金会”（Heritage Foundation）安排的聚会，本意是讨论移民执法及宗教工作者签证等议题 1。Grob 回忆称，主教们被要求在特朗普办公桌后站立进行祈祷，但事前无人告知正在录制视频，而白宫随后迅速在社交媒体上发布了相关影像资料 1。面对由此引发的公众批评及教会内部担忧，Grob 形容自己感到“沉重的悲伤”，并指出他们绝不该被置于此种境地 1。此外，Joensen 称现任政府的许多做法与天主教信仰存在“公然相悖”之处 1。除 Grob 和 Joensen 外，丹佛总主教 James Golka、拉皮德城主教 Scott Bullock 以及俄克拉荷马城总主教 Paul Coakley 也涉及此事 1。
民调数据显示，此次政治化操作可能加剧了选民对天主教徒政治立场的误解。根据 Pew Research Center 的数据，仅有 30% 的美国天主教徒认可特朗普的工作表现，这一比例低于他在 2025 年初上任时的 47% 2。此外，42% 的受访天主教徒更倾向于支持民主党众议院候选人，而倾向共和党的人数比例为 39% 2。背景信息显示，特朗普第二任期设立了白宫信仰办公室，国防部长 Pete Hegseth 亦主持过基督教崇拜服务，且此前特朗普发布类似耶稣形象的 AI 图片也曾引发争议 1。
Two senior American Catholic leaders have publicly expressed regret over a recent meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, accusing the White House of transforming a private religious gathering into political campaign material 1. Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee and Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines issued statements distancing themselves from any intent to endorse the administration or its candidates, following the rapid dissemination of photos and videos from the encounter on social media 12. The incident has sparked internal criticism within the church and raised concerns among voters about the intersection of faith and partisan politics ahead of the midterm elections 12.
The meeting took place on October 22, approximately two weeks before the scheduled November 3 midterm elections 12. According to Archbishop Grob, the session was arranged by the conservative Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind the "Project 2025" blueprint, and focused on private topics such as immigration enforcement and visas for religious workers 1. During the prayer portion of the visit, bishops were asked to stand behind the Resolute Desk at the request of President Trump, but none were informed that the moment was being recorded for public release 1. Grob described his reaction as one of "heavy sadness," stating unequivocally, "We should never have been put in that position by the White House" 1.
In their apologies, both prelates emphasized the non-political nature of their involvement. Bishop Joensen stated, "In no way did any of us intend by our involvement to endorse any political party or any individual candidate," while also noting that many actions of the current government are "blatantly at odds" with Catholic teachings 12. The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of increasing scrutiny regarding the administration’s engagement with religion, including the establishment of a White House Office of Faith and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s hosting of Christian worship services 1. Public opinion data cited by the BBC indicates growing disapproval among Catholic Americans; only 30% approve of President Trump’s job performance, down from 47% earlier in 2025, with 42% favoring Democratic House candidates compared to 39% for Republicans 2.
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