Twelve U.S. Catholic bishops met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Oct. 22, 2026. Video from the meeting showed Archbishop James R. Golka leading a prayer over the president.

White House Faith Director Jenny Korn said the discussion included religious freedom, school choice, family tax credits, religious visas and life.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had no role in arranging the meeting. The conference does not endorse or oppose individual candidates for public office.

Mario Enzler attended as a liaison to the bishops. The Heritage Foundation said Enzler did not organize the gathering.

The other bishops identified as attendees were Jeffrey S. Grob, Joseph F. Naumann, Edward J. Burns, James S. Wall, Steven J. Raica, Thomas J. Hennen, Michael C. Barber, Scott E. Bullock, William M. Joensen, Francis Y. Kalabat and A. Elias Zaidan.

Trump answered a reporter’s question about the meeting at the White House on Oct. 23. “It was a great meeting. Well, they prayed. They mostly prayed,” he said.

The gathering occurred less than two weeks before the 2026 midterm elections. Robert Schmuhl said Trump was attempting to appeal to different constituencies, while noting, “He’s not, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to appeal to every constituency.”

Pew Research Center placed Trump’s approval rating among U.S. Catholics at 30% in October, down from 47% at the beginning of his second term.