Bishop Barron weighs in on ‘untenable’ situation in Minnesota
January 20, 2026
Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, commented on the “untenable” situation in the state.
“As a resident of Minnesota and as bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, my heart is breaking over the situation in my home state,” he said in a January 18 social media post. “Violence, retribution, threats, protests, deep suspicion of one another, political unrest, fear—all of it swirling around all the time.”
He added:
May I make a modest proposal for exiting this unbearable state of affairs? The Trump Administration and ICE should limit themselves, at least for the time being, to rounding up undocumented people who have committed serious crimes. Political leaders should stop stirring up resentment against officers who are endeavoring to enforce the laws of the country. And protestors should cease interfering with the work of ICE. And everyone on all sides must stop shouting at one another and demonizing their opponents.
Where we are now is untenable. There is a way out.
“I don’t care what is animating or annoying you, I don’t care what your political persuasion might be, invading a church is unacceptable and is a violation of religious liberty,” Bishop Barron added in a post the following day, after protestors disrupted a Protestant church service in Minneapolis.
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