Mayor Jacob Frey is facing mounting criticism for dismissing calls for prayer at a time of collective grief. Faith leaders and commentators argue his remarks were not only tone-deaf but also revealed a deeper hostility toward religion in a moment when the community needed compassion and solidarity.
In the aftermath of the Annunciation Catholic School massacre in Minneapolis, where two children were killed and 18 others wounded during morning Mass, one might expect the city’s mayor to offer comfort and unity. Instead, according to critics, Mayor Jacob Frey chose to chastise people of faith, dismissing the value of prayer in a moment when grieving families and a devastated community needed it most. Some argue his remarks— “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying”—were not only tone-deaf, but they were also profoundly callous.
Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota, a widely respected Catholic leader, wasted no time in condemning Frey’s comments, labeling them “completely asinine.” Barron reminded the public that Catholics do not see prayer as a magical shield against suffering, but as a spiritual lifeline. “Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God,” he said, adding that it does not stand in contrast to moral action but rather sustains and empowers it. He invoked Martin Luther King Jr. as an example of how deep prayer can fuel meaningful social change.
Why are people criticizing prayer in this moment? For millions of people, prayer is the most be significant and profound thing they can do in the wake of such evil and tragedy. These kids were praying. And you’re going to discourage that, @MayorFrey ??
— Michele Tafoya (@Michele_Tafoya) August 27, 2025
Some argue that Frey’s dismissive remarks also failed to acknowledge the nature of the crime itself. Authorities identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a transgender individual who left behind anti-religious writings and targeted the Catholic community specifically. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the bureau is investigating the massacre as both domestic terrorism and a hate crime. In this context, Frey’s refusal to recognize the spiritual dimension of the tragedy was not only insensitive but intellectually dishonest. Bishop Barron was right to insist the massacre be named for what it was: deliberate anti-Catholic violence.
I am just gobsmacked that in their effort to immediately politicize a horrific tragedy in which children were murdered at prayer, the line that Democrat after Democrat seem to have chosen is "Where is your God?" – which, incidentally, the murderer wrote on the magazine of his gun https://t.co/qVrLyLHh1w
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) August 27, 2025
Vice President JD Vance, himself a Catholic, also weighed in, defending prayer and rebuking media figures like MSNBC’s Jen Psaki who mocked faith in the wake of the shooting. “We pray because our hearts are broken,” Vance wrote, reminding the nation that prayer is not a substitute for action but a source of strength and resilience in the face of evil.
Frey’s defenders argue that the mayor simply wanted action to accompany words. But this line of defense rings hollows according to a number of online voices criticizing Frey for what journalist Peter J. Hasson considered incomprehensible. The issue is not whether action is necessary—everyone agrees it is—but whether mocking prayer in the very hour of grief serves any constructive purpose. The reality is that Frey chose to politicize tragedy rather than stand in solidarity with a community shattered by violence.
As conservative commentator Erick Erickson noted, America has become trapped in a cycle of politicizing every tragedy. Democrats rush to demand gun control, Republicans counter with mental health reform, and both sides often talk past each other while victims’ families are still burying their dead. Yet Frey’s remarks stand out for their cruelty. At the very moment when children were being mourned, he sneered at the faith of those who found solace in prayer.
Criticism of Frey extends beyond his words in the wake of the shooting. Outkick’s David Hookstead blasted the Minneapolis mayor for his lack of basic knowledge of firearms. Hookstead took exception with Frey’s remarks on MSNBC when he said, “we have these assault rifles that can reel off 30 clips in conjunction with a magazine before the person even needs to reload.” As Hookstead wrote, “AR-15s don’t have clips. They have magazines. The standard magazine capacity is 30 rounds.” Echoing the thoughts of many firearms enthusiasts and Second Amendment defenders, Hookstead also said “People who don’t know how to use guns should probably stop talking about them.”
