When tragedy strikes, the faithful turn to prayer, not as a last resort, but as a lifeline. Why did a national voice choose to mock it? Here's how Christian leaders responded.



Vice President J.D. Vance denounced former White House Press Secretary and MSNBC host Jen Psaki on Thursday for dismissing public prayers in response to a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which left two children dead and 17 others wounded.

"Prayer is not freaking enough. Prayers don't end school shootings. Prayers don't make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer doesn't bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers," Psaki, who served during the Biden administration, wrote on X Wednesday.

Vance, however, criticized the former White House Press Secretary on Thursday, writing, "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. Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?"

The Vice President wrote a follow-up post questioning the Left's take on prayer.

"Of all the weird left-wing culture wars in the last few years, this is by far the most bizarre. 'How dare you pray for innocent people in the midst of tragedy?!' What are you even talking about?"

Current White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also denounced Psaki for her remarks.

"I saw the comments of my predecessor, Ms. Psaki, and frankly, I think they're incredibly insensitive and disrespectful to the tens of millions of Americans of faith across this country who believe in the power of prayer," Leavitt said during a press briefing at the White House on Thursday.

Psaki's sentiments on prayer were echoed by other Democratic leaders, The Christian Post reported.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey asked the country not to discuss "thoughts and prayers" during a media briefing on Wednesday, pointing out that the victims had been praying at the time of the shooting.

"This isn't just about prayers and thoughts at the moment. These children were genuinely praying. They were in a church during the first week of classes," Frey remarked.

After taking office in April 2023, Frey became the first mayor of a major U.S. city to allow mosques to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer five times a day.

Robin Westman, a-23-year-old transgender individual whose birth name was Robert, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene after opening fire through a window during a Mass at the Catholic church as part of the first week of the school year. The motives behind the attack remain unknown, according to authorities.

Authorities said Thursday that four search warrants have been issued at the church and three other locations, uncovering "additional firearms" as part of those searches.

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