UPDATE: Archbishop Coakley meets with President Trump

Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, meets with President Donald Trump at the White House on Jan. 12, 2026. | Credit: The White House Jan 12, 2026 / 18:07 pm (CNA). Archbishop Paul Coakley and President Donald Trump met on Jan. 12 to discuss areas of “mutual concern,” which likely included topics related to immigration enforcement and Venezuela’s sovereignty. The archbishop of Oklahoma City, Coakley, who was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in November 2025, visited with Trump at the White House on Monday.Following the meeting, Coakley indicated on X that in addition to meeting with Trump, he also met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.“The meetings served as an introduction as well as an opening to further conversations on topics of mutual concern, which will hopefully carry forward,” the USCCB leader said. “I appreciate the opportunity and welcome the potential for ongoing productive conversations,” he added.The meeting was closed to the press.Pope Leo XIV has said immigrants must be treated with dignity and has encouraged all people in the United States to heed the U.S. bishops’ message on immigration. Coakley, appearing on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Dec. 21, 2025, had previously predicted that immigration would be a discussion topic with Trump and said: “I think we have opportunities to work together. We have opportunities to speak frankly with one another.”After U.S. military action to capture Venezuela’s president, Pope Leo on Jan. 4 called for full respect for Venezuela’s national sovereignty and for the human and civil rights of its people. Earlier in the day on Jan. 12, Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the Vatican.This story was updated on Jan. 13, 2026.