Democrats are facing criticism for dismissing the faith-based responses from Christians in the wake of Wednesday’s Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis that left two children dead and 18 others injured during a morning Mass.
Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron sharply condemned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for dismissing calls for prayer after the massacre.
Barron called the mayor’s remarks “completely asinine.”
“Catholics don’t think that prayer magically protects them from all suffering,” Barron said in a statement.
“After all, Jesus prayed fervently from the cross on which he was dying.”
The FBI confirmed it is investigating the attack at Annunciation Catholic School as both a possible act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.
The guman was identified as 23-year-old Robert “Robin” Westman, a male who claimed to be a “transgender woman.”
Investigators said the shooter left anti-religious writings in his manifesto and scrawled similar messages on his firearms.
His messages included statements that mocked his child targets.
At a press conference, Frey criticized those offering prayers for the victims.
“Don’t say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now — these kids were literally praying,” he said.
“It was the first week of school – they were in a church.”
His comments echoed remarks from other Democrat officials and media figures who disparaged prayer in the aftermath of the shooting.
Barron, who leads the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, said critics fundamentally misunderstand prayer.
“Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God, which strikes me as altogether appropriate precisely at times of great pain,” he said.
“And prayer by no means stands in contrast to decisive moral action.
“Martin Luther King was a man of deep prayer, who also effected a social revolution in our country.
“This is not an either/or proposition.”
He also said the tragedy should be recognized as a clear act of anti-Catholic violence.
“In the past seven years in our country, there has been a 700% increase in violent acts against Christians and Christian churches,” Barron said.
“Worldwide, Christianity is by far the most persecuted religion.
“That people are even wondering whether the tragedy in Minneapolis is an instance of anti-Catholic violence is puzzling to me.
“If someone attacked a synagogue while congregants were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an antisemitic act?” he asked.
“If someone shot up a mosque while the devout were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an anti-Islamic attack?
“So, why would we even hesitate to say that a maniac shooting into a Catholic Church while children are at prayer was committing an anti-Catholic act?”
The Family Research Council recently reported at least 415 attacks against 383 churches in 43 states in 2024, highlighting a rise in hostility toward Christian congregations nationwide.
Barron said the two children slain during Mass should be considered “martyrs,” calling their deaths a tragic but powerful witness of faith.
He acknowledged the tragedy raises difficult questions about evil but emphasized the hope found in the gospel.
“We know that God is all-good and all-powerful, and yet we also know that there are wicked people in the world who do terrible things,” Barron said.
“And so we must say that the just and merciful God permits some evils so as to bring about a good that we might not be able immediately to see.
“God is faithful in his love, but the ways of his providence are often inscrutable to us.
“We also know that, in Jesus, God journeyed all the way to the bottom of our suffering, accepting, as St. Paul said, ‘even death, death on a cross.’
“We cannot always understand why God permits evil, but we know for sure that he accompanies us in our suffering.”
Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, also defended prayer in a post directed at MSNBC host Jen Psaki.
As Slay News reported, Psaki, a former Biden White House official, was among those on the Left to publicly attack Christians for offering their “thoughts and prayers.”
“We pray because our hearts are broken,” Vance said in response to Psaki.
“We pray because we know God listens.
“We pray because we know that God works in mysterious ways, and can inspire us to further action,” Vance wrote.
“Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?”
A spokesperson for Frey’s office later defended the mayor’s remarks:
“The mayor has always said that thoughts and prayers alone are not enough.
“They must be paired with action and solutions.
“One doesn’t negate the other — but year after year, students are murdered by gun violence.
“Enough is enough. We must do more.”
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