A Minnesota Catholic bishop is warning that what he sees as a growing embrace of Marxist ideas on the American left should concern believers and nonbelievers alike, after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushed back on remarks by Sen. Marco Rubio about culture, religion, and the foundations of Western civilization.
Bishop Robert Barron, head of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and founder of Word on Fire, made the comments in a recent address to his followers on X.
A recent statement by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez illuminates the Marxist ideology which continues to take hold of American politicians. Here are my thoughts. pic.twitter.com/Edgy0smzeb
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) February 16, 2026
A clash of philosophies
Barron began by praising a recent speech by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, describing it as a call to move past partisan divides by reconnecting with shared cultural roots.
“Just last week, Marco Rubio gave a talk that I thought was really good in Munich. He was talking about the shared culture of Europe and America. He referenced Gothic cathedrals, Dante, Shakespeare, and even The Beatles. His point was we got to get beyond just our political differences and find our sources in the great culture that unites us,” Barron said.
Barron said Rubio went further by tying culture to religion, an idea Barron noted aligns with Pope Benedict XVI and historian Christopher Dawson.
“Culture is grounded in cult at the root of all cultures — something like religion — and so he wasn’t afraid to reference the Christian faith as a key element in giving rise to the shared culture of Europe and America,” Barron said. “So a really good speech, I thought.”
Barron then turned to comments he said he saw from Ocasio-Cortez responding to Rubio.
“Well then … I saw Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez answering him, and I was very struck by her answer. I thought it was very illuminating,” Barron said. “She said, ‘Oh, you know, this appeal to culture, it’s so thin because culture is ephemeral, it’s always changing, and so we shouldn’t pay attention to culture and just pay attention to the material foundations in the class struggle.’”
Barron said that framing, in his view, follows a familiar ideological script.
“All of that, everybody, is right out of the Marxist playbook,” he said. “First of all, that Western culture, as Rubio invoked it, is thin — the culture that gave us all those great figures, that gave us the rule of law, that gave us respect for the rights of the individual, that gave us our democratic political system, that gave us the university system — that’s thin?”
I watched the entire speech this morning on YouTube and it was indeed the most incredible speech I think I’ve ever seen at the Munich conference or anywhere. Everyone should watch it.https://t.co/pYqPjhRZN7
— Keith Mattox (@KeithWMattox) February 17, 2026
‘Right out of the Marxist playbook’
Barron rejected the argument that culture should be dismissed simply because it evolves over time
“Well, that’s a banality. I mean, of course cultures are alive; they change and evolve. It doesn’t mean for a second we can’t identify the key elements in a culture that gives it its character,” he said.
He argued that reducing culture to an outgrowth of economics traces directly to Karl Marx.
“To characterize culture as thin is a Marxist move. Marx said that culture is simply an epiphenomenal superstructure on top of the economic substructure,” Barron said. “And don’t be distracted, therefore, by the culture, that’s just protecting economics at the bottom.”
Barron said Ocasio-Cortez’s focus on material conditions and class struggle echoes that philosophy.
“Again, listen to her: let’s pay attention to the material conditions and to class struggle. Again, that’s the Marxist playbook,” he said.
From politics to religious concern
Barron said his concern extends beyond a single lawmaker, pointing to rhetoric from other progressive leaders.
“What’s worrying me, everybody, is the extent to which political leadership on the left in America is becoming — it’s unapologetically Marxist,” he said, referencing the mayor of New York City and language about collectivism, confiscation of private property, and seizing the means of production.
“All language right out of the Communist Manifesto,” Barron said.
He urged Americans to listen to those who have lived under Marxist regimes.
“Might I encourage followers of, you know, Mayor Mamdani and AOC to talk to some of them — they’re still alive some of them — the people that fled Marxist tyranny in Europe, people laboring under it to this day in Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, etcetera,” he said.
Barron said the issue is especially serious from a religious standpoint.
“It concerns me not just as someone who follows politics, but as a Bishop of the Catholic Church,” he said. “Marx himself said the first critique is a critique of religion, and his political adepts followed him. The first thing that the Marxist tyrannies went after, in most cases, was religion.”
He closed by urging listeners to pay close attention to political language and its implications.
“I’m getting a little concerned that in some of these leading figures in our own politics, a Marxist philosophy is taking hold,” Barron said. “Take a look, everybody. Attend to the language. In a way, they’re telling us who they are and what they’re for, and I think that should be very concerning to everybody. And God bless you.”
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.
