Months ago, Denver Archbishop James Golka received a special invitation: to meet alongside other Catholic bishops with Trump Administration officials at the White House to discuss topics of concern to Catholics. Following the meeting, organized by the White House Faith Office — not by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) —  the bishops were to have a few moments with President Trump in the Oval Office and were invited to pray with the president.  The invitation came following a June meeting in which faith leaders raised issues of serious concern, including immigration, religious freedom and visas for religious workers.

“I wasn’t sure what to do. On one hand, it was a great opportunity to raise important issues for the Church’s benefit. On the other hand, I knew people might be upset. Though I originally thought it would be a private meeting, I knew that it could be shared and that some might use it for political purposes,” the archbishop said.