In the wake of the latest mass shooting at a Catholic church in Minnesota, some critics have wasted little time in criticizing those appealing to prayer.
But Vice President JD Vance has been among the most vocal voices pushing back against this anti-invocation narrative — one perpetuated by some progressive voices after a trans-identifying gunman killed two children and injured 17 others Wednesday at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.
In fact, Vance directly responded on social media to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s X post — a message critical of “thoughts and prayers” that she shared after the shooting.
“Prayer is not freaking enough,” she wrote. “Prayers does [sic] not end school shootings. prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back.”
Psaki concluded, “Enough with the 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.
Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying? https://t.co/KfTJ71Hcjf
— JD Vance (@JDVance) August 28, 2025
Vance held little back in his response to the former Biden administration staffer, explaining the true purpose behind prayer and posing a tough question.
“We pray because our hearts are broken,” the vice-president explained. “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.”
He then concluded with the following: “Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?”
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Vance’s strong response comes as other public figures have delivered similar rebukes of people appealing to invocations in the wake of carnage and horror.
CBN News broke down the issue and some of the other responses during a recent segment.
Watch the segment to see some of the other prayer critiques and a biblical argument for why prayer is essential in the wake of such difficult circumstances.
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