Archbishop Golka Defends Prayer as Priestly Duty
Critics called the Oct. 22 White House moment a photo op. Golka says the Church prays for every leader and that the anger left him heartbroken.
Archbishop James Golka of Denver responded to criticism of his role in an Oct. 22 White House prayer, saying he acted as a Catholic priest and not as a political advocate.
Golka led a prayer during an Oval Office meeting between President Trump and more than half a dozen U.S. bishops. In that prayer he asked the Holy Spirit to “surround our country, to protect us against any influence of evil.” Critics described the gathering as a politically motivated photo opportunity days before the midterm elections.
The archbishop said he knew the images might upset people and that they could be used for political purposes. He did not dismiss that risk. He first took the question to prayer.
“As I prayed about it, I thought that this is what Catholics do. We pray for people,” Golka said.
Church Teaching on Dignity, Not Endorsement
He said that during the encounter he articulated the Church’s teaching on the dignity of every human person and rejected any reading of the meeting as an endorsement of the president.
“The bishops of the United States teach that the Church cannot champion any candidate or party,” he said.
Friends who criticized him received a direct answer: “I was being a Catholic priest.” He said the anger the episode unleashed left him “heartbroken.”
The Archdiocese of Denver recalled that prayer for public leaders is a long Catholic practice dating to the Apostolic Age. From the first Christian generations, the faithful have been urged to intercede for those who hold office—an instruction the Church still carries in her liturgy and pastoral life. Golka pledged to keep praying for leaders “regardless of their party.”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had no role in arranging the Oct. 22 gathering. The conversation that day also addressed religious freedom, school choice, family tax credits, and the protection of human life. Denver has maintained throughout that joining in prayer does not constitute support for any candidate. Golka’s latest remarks rest on the same ground: the Church prays for those who govern; she does not champion their parties.