Columnist Gustavo Arellano Offers Satirical Prayer Criticizing Catholic Bishops’ Oval Office Prayer With Trump

A commentary column by Gustavo Arellano, published Oct. 31, 2026, criticizes a recent Oval Office event in which a dozen Catholic bishops stood around President Trump while he sat with his eyes closed and hands clasped. Denver Archbishop James Golka placed his hand on Trump’s shoulder, thanked God for “the gift of this office and presidency,” and asked the Holy Spirit to protect the United States “against any influence of evil.” The column characterizes the gathering as a photo opportunity, a view presented as the writer’s opinion.

Arellano writes that a majority of Catholic voters chose Trump in 2024 and that polls show many of them now regret that decision. He says the criticism of the bishops was strong enough that four of them have since either apologized or said they were not endorsing any candidate. One of them, Bishop William Joensen of Des Moines, said he wished he had remembered Jesus’ instruction to the apostles to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

The column contrasts the bishops’ conduct with that of Episcopal Bishop of Washington Mariann Budde, who, the column says, addressed Trump and members of his administration at an interfaith service the day after his 2025 inauguration. According to the column, Budde said: “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now.” The writer presents her words as a model for speaking to political leaders.

Arellano then offers a prayer of his own, which criticizes Trump and several Republican leaders and calls for voters to reject what he describes as false idols. The prayer asks that people “stand by the meek, the poor, the outcast and especially the foreigner,” citing a passage in Leviticus. These are the author’s views and are not findings of fact.

The column also makes claims about the Justice Department and the 2026 midterm campaign that are presented as the author’s assertions. Arellano asks for a blessing on election workers whom he describes as persecuted by the Justice Department over Trump’s claims of ballot rigging.

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