A prominent Minnesota bishop is criticizing Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for downplaying the role of prayer in the wake of Wednesday’s mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church that left two children dead and 18 others injured during morning Mass.
“Catholics don’t think that prayer magically protects them from all suffering. After all, Jesus prayed fervently from the cross on which he was dying,” Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester told Fox News Digital, calling Frey’s remarks “completely asinine.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators “have gathered information and evidence demonstrating this was an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology.”
In a social media post, Patel noted that the shooter left “anti-Catholic, anti-religious references both in his manifesto and written on his firearms,” and expressed hatred toward Jewish people, “writing ‘Israel must fall,’ ‘Free Palestine,’ and using explicit language related to the Holocaust.”
The shooter also wrote “an explicit call for violence against President Trump on a firearm magazine,” Patel confirmed.
Two weeks before the attack at Annunciation, the Family Research Council released a report that documented a rise in hostility toward churches, Fox News reported.
Frey’s comments on prayer
At a press conference shortly after the tragedy, Frey criticized those who responded with faith.
“Don’t just say this is about ‘thoughts and prayers’ right now. These kids were literally praying,” Frey said. “It was the first week of school. They were in a church.”
Jacob Frey, the Democrat Mayor of Minneapolis, slams people who are praying for the victims of the Catholic School Shooting:
"Don't just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying!" pic.twitter.com/CRDBLUs4Rw
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 27, 2025
Alpha News previously reported on Frey’s remarks, which seemed to echo comments from other Minnesota Democrats who dismissed prayer.
Rep. Brad Tabke criticized House Speaker Lisa Demuth for calling on Minnesotans to “join me in praying for the children, families, and staff,” saying she does “nothing but pray and obstruct.”
Barron, however, argued that critics misunderstand the place of prayer in times of suffering, according to Fox News.
“Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God, which strikes me as altogether appropriate precisely at times of great pain,” he told Fox News. “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.”
Barron: Shooting was clearly anti-Catholic violence
The bishop also said the shooting was 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. 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,” he told Fox News.
“If someone attacked a synagogue while congregants were praying, would anyone doubt that it was an antisemitic act? 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?” he asked.
Barron added that he would not hesitate to call the slain children “martyrs,” Fox News reported.
“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,” he told the outlet. “We cannot always understand why God permits evil, but we know for sure that he accompanies us in our suffering.”
Franklin Graham: ‘Your words do not diminish the power of prayer’
Evangelist Franklin Graham also rebuked Frey and other Democrats who criticized calls for prayer, posting a lengthy response on social media.
“To the Democratic Mayor of Minneapolis and the other socialist left who have criticized calling for prayer in the aftermath of the tragic school shooting—your words do not change or diminish the power and importance of prayer,” Graham wrote in part.
“Because someone calls for prayer doesn’t mean that bad things aren’t going to happen or that the emergency is going to disappear, we all know that. But prayer is our opportunity to communicate directly with the God of Heaven and take our petitions to Him. God does see, God does hear, and God can intervene.”
Graham cited Hebrews 4:16, writing: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for Frey’s office told Fox News: “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.”
As Alpha News previously reported, two years before the tragedy, Catholic and independent school leaders across Minnesota wrote to Gov. Tim Walz urging him to provide security funding for nonpublic schools, calling the need “urgent and critical.”
Despite Minnesota’s $18 billion budget surplus at the time, the funding never came.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
