By Peter Smith and Tiffany Stanley | Related Press
Ideas and prayers.
The invocation seems like a litany after each mass capturing — and the backlash is simply as inevitable.
As if the slaughter of youngsters amid screams and shattered stained glass wasn’t trigger sufficient for grief, American opinion makers have been convulsed as soon as once more this week in a debate over the position of prayer within the wake of a mass capturing, this time at Annunciation Catholic College in Minneapolis.
Those that assist some authorized restrictions on weapons, usually Democrats, say that Republican politicians who enchantment to prayer are attempting to distract from their very own inaction on things like purple flag legal guidelines or stricter background checks on gun purchases.
Critics, particularly on the correct, chided the Democratic mayor.
“It is shocking to me that so many left wing politicians attack the idea of prayer in response to a tragedy,” Republican Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, posted on X. “Literally no one thinks prayer is a substitute for action. We pray because our hearts are broken and we believe that God is listening.”
The talk is not only in regards to the energy of prayer. In the USA — with each a big non secular inhabitants and probably the most mass shootings on the planet — it’s additionally a polarized debate about gun management.
In different phrases, the episode set off rhetorical skirmishes alongside two of the largest dividing strains in America’s cultural and political wars: God and weapons. (That doesn’t even rely the scrutiny over the motives and gender identification of the shooter, who died by suicide after the assault.)
Prayers good however ‘not enough’
Frey tapped into the precept of “Tikkun Olam,” in his Jewish religion, which speaks about repairing the world.
“The meaning there is, prayers are good, but they are not enough,” Frey stated on CNN. “It’s only adequate if you can attach an action to the work. And in this case, we know what the solutions are. They’ve been the same solutions three years ago, five years ago, 15 years ago.”
He stated if Vance would assist laws to curb gun violence, “maybe we’re not really having an argument.”
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was considered one of 17 murdered within the 2018 college capturing in Parkland, Florida, replied angrily to Vance’s submit on X.
“I am not a left wing politician. I am the father of Jaime who was murdered in the Parkland shooting,” Guttenberg posted on X. “YOU ARE MISERABLE AND WRONG. It is shocking to me how politicians like you mock and use the idea of ‘thoughts and prayers’ to cover for your prior and future inaction and the reality that I visit my forever 14 daughter at the cemetery.”
Related sentiments adopted the newest Minneapolis capturing. “America prays but does not act. Gun worship is killing us,” the Rev. Jacqui Lewis of Center Collegiate Church in New York posted on X.
Republicans, in flip, have framed mass gun violence by way of a psychological well being disaster or, in instances such because the Annunciation assault, hate crimes towards non secular teams, whereas emphasizing the constitutional proper to “keep and bear arms.”
The talk after the Minneapolis assault shortly and starkly turned political.
Present and former White Home spokeswomen additionally obtained into the combo.
Jen Psaki, who was spokesperson for former President Joe Biden, acknowledged on X: “Prayer is not freaking enough. … Prayer does not bring these kids back.”
Speaking previous one another
John Fea, a historian of American politics and faith, stated politicians have lengthy known as for prayers in crises such because the American Revolution and the Civil Warfare. Most non secular traditions would say that “at least prayers are appropriate in a situation like this,” he stated.
However either side discuss previous one another about subsequent steps.
Everybody wanting stricter gun legal guidelines “sees the idea of thoughts and prayers as not accomplishing anything,” stated Fea, a fellow on the Lumen Middle in Madison, Wisconsin.
And to make certain, “a significant number of those who offer thoughts and prayers at these moments also oppose gun control,” he famous.
It’s not that they don’t need motion, however they’re “raising questions of spiritual problems in the culture or mental health issues that need to be addressed,” Fea stated. “Anything but gun legislation.”
The 2 main events have starkly completely different non secular constituencies, which displays how they speak about prayer. Republicans have drawn robust assist from conservative white and Latino evangelicals and different white Christians; Democrats have a extra various coalition of minority racial and spiritual teams and secular voters.
Catholics throughout the divide
Pope Leo XIV targeted on the religious in his response, sending “heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the loss of a child.”
Whereas the primary American pope didn’t deal with gun management this week, he appeared to take action when he was a lesser-known Bishop Robert Prevost in 2017, based on the Substack website Letters from Leo. After a mass capturing in Las Vegas, a Twitter account in Prevost’s identify retweeted a senator’s submit that castigated his colleagues for not approving extra gun controls, saying their “cowardice to act cannot be whitewashed by thoughts and prayers.”
Catholic bishops mirror the divide.
“While we join our prayers with others that those injured in body and spirit will heal and that the murdered children will be received into heaven, we must also cry out for action to prevent even one more such tragedy,” stated Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich.
In an announcement, he known as for “common sense” insurance policies to restrict weapons’ availability, lamenting that such concepts “have been largely rejected in the name of a freedom not found in our constitution.” He additionally known as for restoration in funding cuts to psychological well being.
“Friends, prayer doesn’t magically protect us from suffering,” Barron added in his submit. “At its core, prayer is raising the mind and heart to God, which is absolutely appropriate in times of deep pain.”
Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda, whose flock contains these at Annunciation, emphasised each prayer and motion.
“We need an end to gun violence,” he stated.
“Our community is rightfully outraged at such horrific acts of violence perpetrated against the vulnerable and innocent,” he stated. “They are far too commonplace. While we need to commit to working to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies, we also need to remind ourselves that we have a God of peace and of love, and that it is his love that we will need most as we strive to embrace those who are hurting so deeply.”
Related Press faith protection receives assist via the AP’s collaboration with The Dialog US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely chargeable for this content material.
Initially Printed: August 30, 2025 at 7:55 AM PDT
