Following a deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, which killed two children and injured 18 others during a morning Mass, Mayor Jacob Frey immediately denounced calls for “thoughts and prayers.” 

Frey noted that the victims were literally praying at the time.

Bishop Robert Barron rebuked those remarks as “completely asinine,” defending prayer as an essential response to tragedy that complements action, while highlighting a surge in anti-Christian violence and the attack’s apparent anti-Catholic motivation.

More importantly, he completely dismantled Frey’s argument that prayer during tragedy is worthless by pointing to Jesus’ own crucifixion.

“Catholics don’t think that prayer magically protects them from all suffering,” Barron explained in comments to Fox News Digital. “After all, Jesus prayed fervently from the cross on which he was dying.”

Friends, this morning there was a shooting at Annunciation Catholic Parish in Minneapolis. Please join me in praying for all those who were injured or lost their lives—along with their families. Let us also pray for the students, faculty, and entire parish community.

— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) August 27, 2025