On August 27, 2025, tragedy struck Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis when a shooter opened fire, killing 2 and wounding 17, including children. The suspect, later identified as a transgender individual, Robin Westman, with a documented history of mental illness, hatred of Christians, and prescription drug use, deliberately targeted Christians. Witnesses and investigators confirmed that the attack was directed at the Catholic community, making it one of the most explicitly anti-Christian acts of violence in recent years.
In the aftermath, Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference that quickly drew national attention. Instead of focusing on the clear anti-Christian motive, Frey used the occasion to attack Christians for praying. “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now,” he said. “These kids were literally praying.”
Frey presented the fact that the children were praying as evidence of the futility of prayer itself. His comment was dismissive, openly mocking the very foundation of Christian beliefs.
Christians believe God gave humans free will, which includes the capacity for both good and evil. The shooter, Westman, had the choice to choose good or evil, but Westman chose evil.
Rather than seeing tragedy as evidence of God’s absence, many Christians believe God is most present during suffering. They point to the crucifixion as the ultimate example: God entering into human suffering rather than remaining distant from it. Consequently, prayer is not a magical shield but a way of connecting with God, who understands suffering intimately.
It is important for Christians dealing with grief to remember that there is a distinction between what God causes and what God permits. In a world of free choice, God permits people like Westman or Frey to choose evil.
The fact that other people choose evil should not make Christians abandon their beliefs or their prayers. The point Frey is missing is that prayer is not primarily about getting specific outcomes but about maintaining a relationship with God. The value of prayer is not negated by tragedy any more than human relationships lose value simply because they cannot prevent all suffering.
Bishop Robert Barron, one of the most prominent Catholic voices in Minnesota, sharply criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for dismissing prayer in the wake of the Catholic school shooting, calling the mayor’s remarks “completely asinine.”
Barron reminded the public that prayer is a spiritual act of union with God, especially in the midst of tragedy. “Catholics don’t think that prayer magically protects them from all suffering,” he told Fox News Digital. “After all, Jesus prayed fervently from the cross on which he was dying.”
Barron also placed the incident in the wider context of growing anti-Christian violence. “In the past seven years in our country, there has been a 700 percent increase in violent acts against Christians and Christian churches. Worldwide, Christianity is by far the most persecuted religion.” He went on to draw comparisons to how similar attacks on other faiths would be understood.
“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 act? 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?”
Other religious leaders also spoke out. At a Democratic National Committee meeting, Bishop Leah Daughtry led the assembly in prayer, asking God to bring comfort amid grief and anger: “We bring our tears, our confusion, our pain, our anger and our grief — for lives snatched away too soon, for families and friends left devastated, for the forces of hatred on earth — such painful actions. And we ask: How long, oh Lord, how long will our nation allow such hatred to reign unchecked?”
Political leaders added their voices in defense of prayer. Vice President J.D. Vance, a Catholic, rebuked MSNBC host Jen Psaki for belittling “thoughts and prayers.” “We pray because our hearts are broken. 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.
In times of unimaginable tragedy, Christians find hope not in the absence of suffering, but in God’s promise to be present within it. As Isaiah 43:2 reminds us: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Our prayers are not a plea for God to intervene from a distance, but an acknowledgment that He walks beside us, even through a hail of gunfire.
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