On August 28, 2025, the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis became the latest site of a national tragedy when a gunman opened fire during Mass, killing two students and wounding eighteen others. The attack, which unfolded as children prayed in their pews, has once again ignited the familiar and fiercely polarized debate in the United States over the meaning and merit of offering "thoughts and prayers" after mass shootings, and what—if any—action should follow such words.
As the city reeled from the violence, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addressed the community’s grief and frustration in a press conference. “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying,” Frey said, according to the Associated Press. Drawing on the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam, which calls for repairing the world, he emphasized, “The meaning there is, prayers are good, but they are not enough. 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.” Frey’s comments echoed the calls of many Americans who argue that prayer, while comforting, cannot substitute for legislative action on gun control.
On the other side of the debate, Republican Vice President JD Vance, himself a Catholic, took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend the role of prayer in the wake of tragedy. “Literally no one thinks prayer is a substitute for action. We pray because our hearts are broken and we believe that God is listening,” Vance wrote. Later, he questioned the criticism of prayer, asking, “Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?” Vance’s stance reflects a view held by many on the right: that prayer is a vital response to suffering, and that calls for action should not come at the expense of faith.
This latest tragedy has made clear, once again, how deeply intertwined the issues of faith and gun policy are in American public life. According to Fox News Digital, the debate quickly spilled over into national media, with former White House spokesperson Jen Psaki criticizing the ritual of offering “thoughts and prayers” after shootings. On X, Psaki wrote, “Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers does not end school shootings. prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.” Psaki’s comments, and her subsequent remarks on her MSNBC show, sparked a swift backlash from conservatives and religious leaders.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rebuked Psaki’s comments during a press briefing. “I saw the comments of my predecessor, Ms. Psaki, and frankly, I think they are incredibly insensitive and disrespectful to the tens of millions of Americans of faith across this country who believe in the power of prayer, who believe that prayer works and who believe that in a time of mourning like this—when beautiful young children were killed while praying in a church,” Leavitt said. She continued, “It is utterly disrespectful to deride the power of prayer in this country, and it is disrespectful to the millions of Americans of faith. And I would encourage Ms. Psaki to pray for these families themselves, who need it right now more than ever.”
The exchange between Psaki and Leavitt highlights a core tension in the American response to mass shootings. As John Fea, a historian of American politics and religion, told the Associated Press, calls for prayer have long been part of the nation’s reaction to crisis, dating back to the American Revolution and Civil War. “At least prayers are appropriate in a situation like this,” Fea said. Yet, he notes, the two sides often talk past each other: “Everyone wanting stricter gun laws sees the idea of thoughts and prayers as not accomplishing anything. A significant number of those who offer thoughts and prayers at these moments also oppose gun control. It’s not that they don’t want action, but they are raising questions of spiritual problems in the culture or mental health issues that need to be addressed. Anything but gun legislation.”
This divide is reflected in the religious and political coalitions of America’s two major parties. Republicans draw strong support from conservative white and Latino evangelicals and other white Christians, while Democrats have a more diverse coalition of minority racial and religious groups as well as secular voters. The rhetoric around prayer and action often mirrors these constituencies.
In the aftermath of the Minneapolis shooting, voices from across the religious spectrum weighed in. Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, sent “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.” While he did not address gun control directly this week, the Associated Press noted that as Bishop Robert Prevost in 2017 he had supported calls for stricter gun laws after a mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Catholic bishops also expressed the need for both prayer and policy change. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich called for “common sense” measures to limit the availability of firearms and lamented that such ideas “have been largely rejected in the name of a freedom not found in our constitution.” He further urged the restoration of funding for mental health services. Bishop Robert Barron, speaking to Fox News Digital, criticized Mayor Frey’s remarks as “asinine,” but added, “Friends, prayer doesn’t magically protect us from suffering. 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 archdiocese includes Annunciation Catholic School, called for both prayer and action. “We need an end to gun violence,” Hebda said. “Our community is rightfully outraged at such horrific acts of violence perpetrated against the vulnerable and innocent. 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.”
For families directly affected by gun violence, the stakes of this debate are personal and painful. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, responded angrily to Vice President Vance’s comments. “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.”
This cycle of tragedy, mourning, and political argument has become all too familiar in the United States. After a mass shooting in California in 2015, the New York Daily News ran a front-page headline, “GOD ISN’T FIXING THIS,” surrounded by tweets from Republican politicians offering prayers. The paper argued that “cowards who could truly end gun scourge continue to hide behind meaningless platitudes.” Similar sentiments have surfaced after each new incident, with religious leaders, politicians, and grieving families all voicing their pain, their hopes, and their demands for change.
As the nation continues to grapple with the aftermath of the Minneapolis shooting, the debate over thoughts, prayers, and action shows no sign of abating. What remains clear is that for many Americans—on all sides of the issue—the stakes could not be higher, and the search for real solutions is as urgent as ever.
