Catholic Bishops Claim Exploitation After Photo Praying With Trump Publicised

WASHINGTON: Two Catholic bishops have publicly expressed regret and claimed they felt “exploited” after photographs showing them laying hands and praying over former US President Donald Trump were widely circulated, clarifying that they believed the encounter was a strictly private pastoral session.

The images, which surfaced online and quickly gained traction across social media platforms, captured the senior clergymen engaged in prayer alongside the political figure. In subsequent formal statements, the bishops explained that the meeting had been presented to them as an off-the-record, confidential religious interaction rather than a public photo opportunity or an implicit political endorsement of the candidate.

The fallout underscores the increasingly complex intersection of faith and electoral politics in the United States, where religious symbolism is frequently utilized to rally political bases. Within the Catholic Church, leadership guidelines emphasize institutional neutrality during political cycles, making the public exposure of such private clergy interactions a subject of intense internal debate and congregational criticism.

In response to the controversy, diocesan officials are reviewing security and media management protocols for future pastoral engagements involving high-profile political candidates. Catholic communications bodies are expected to issue clearer directives to ensure that private pastoral care is protected from potential political instrumentalization as election campaigning intensifies.