Jan 5, 2026 / 17:32 pm
Bishop Robert Barron, founder of the Word on Fire ministry, criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for promising constituents “the warmth of collectivism” in his Jan. 1 inaugural address.
Mamdani, who defeated two candidates with nearly 51% of the vote in the November election, won on a democratic socialist platform. His plans include free buses, city-owned grocery stores, no-cost child care, raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour, and freezing the rent for people in rent-stabilized apartments.
“We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism,” Mamdani said in his inaugural address.
“If our campaign demonstrated that the people of New York yearn for solidarity, then let this government foster it,” he said. “Because no matter what you eat, what language you speak, how you pray, or where you come from — the words that most define us are the two we all share: New Yorkers.”
Barron, bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, said in a post on X that this line “took my breath away.”
“Collectivism in its various forms is responsible for the deaths of at least 100 million people in the last century,” Barron said.
“Socialist and communist forms of government around the world today — Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, etc. — are disastrous,” he added. “Catholic social teaching has consistently condemned socialism and has embraced the market economy, which people like Mayor Mamdani caricature as ‘rugged individualism.’ In fact, it is the economic system that is based upon the rights, freedom, and dignity of the human person.”
“For God’s sake, spare me the ‘warmth of collectivism,’” Barron concluded.
Catholic teaching on socialism
Both socialism and communism have been condemned by many popes, first by Pope Pius IX in his 1849 encyclical Nostis et Nobiscum, just one year after Karl Marx published “ The Communist Manifesto.”
The foundation of Catholic social teaching rests on Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum.
In the encyclical, Leo denounced socialism and communism, and also condemned poor labor conditions for the working class and employers “who use human beings as mere instruments for moneymaking.”
“Each needs the other: Capital cannot do without labor, nor labor without capital,” the 19th century pontiff wrote. “Mutual agreement results in the beauty of good order, while perpetual conflict necessarily produces confusion and savage barbarity.”
Pope Pius XI, in his 1931 encyclical Quadragesimo Anno, wrote of the importance of private property, that man must be able to “fully cultivate and develop all his faculties unto the praise and glory of his Creator; and that by faithfully fulfilling the duties of his craft or other calling he may obtain for himself temporal and at the same time eternal happiness.”
Socialism, he said, is “wholly ignoring and indifferent to this sublime end of both man and society, affirms that human association has been instituted for the sake of material advantage alone.”
“Religious socialism, Christian socialism, are contradictory terms; no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist,” Pius XI wrote.
Pope Benedict XVI differentiated socialism and democratic socialism. In 2006, he wrote: “In many respects, democratic socialism was and is close to Catholic social doctrine and has in any case made a remarkable contribution to the formation of a social consciousness.”
Though, in his 2005 encyclical Deus Caritas Est, Benedict XVI wrote that government should not control everything but that society needs a state that, “in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need.”
Pope Francis has criticized Marxist ideology but also “radical individualism,” which he said in his 2020 encyclical Fratelli Tutti “makes us believe that everything consists in giving free rein to our own ambitions, as if by pursuing ever greater ambitions and creating safety nets we would somehow be serving the common good.”
In 2024, Francis encouraged cooperation and dialogue between Marxists and Christians.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modem times with ‘communism’ or ‘socialism.’ She has likewise refused to accept, in the practice of ‘capitalism,’ individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor.”
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Another fine defense of Catholic orthodoxy by Bishop Barron. But where was his concern when Francis was speaking economic nonsense that made Mamdani sound like Bill Buckley?
Socialism is not the answer, however an economic system where the top three billionaires have a greater net worth than the bottom half of the American people is not desirable either.
Our current system of ever increasing wealth disparities is not working for most people.
And what “system” would that be
The capitalism of the 1950’s. Capitalism before leveraged buyouts, stock buybacks and other gimmicks that do not add value, only enrich insiders. The Federal minimum wage has not moved in 15 years. The working poor need some assistance. Or perhaps Elon should be a Trillionaire?
William: What you seem to avoid understanding is that market economies are not a zero sum game. Real wealth is created. And the increase of wealth for some does not reduce the wealth of anyone else. In fact, it can increase it by reducing retail costs.
Aside from the falsely contrived data that you seem to believe about disparities, the “possession” of billions by some actuality means controlling interest in enterprises. It does not mean owning a hundred thousand pleasure boats.
It is possible for someone owning a few factories worth a billion dollars to become completely bankrupt in a year if the products or services turn on a dime to become obsolete. Surplus wealth can help to avoid thousands losing their jobs if the owner/owners can transition to newer technologies and products.
And it is never the case that any human “system” can usurp the realities of our God given condition of sacrificing struggles, nor should it. Trying to perfect ourselves through “reinventing” ourselves independent of humility and virtue is evil.
The capitalism of the 1950’s. Capitalism before leveraged buyouts, stock buybacks and other gimmicks that do not add value, only enrich insiders. The Federal minimum wage has not moved in 15 years. The working poor need some assistance. Or perhaps Elon should be a Trillionaire?
Illegal actions by individuals you label “capitalists” has nothing to do with market economics. Individual moral behavior is not predetermined by circumstance or system.
There is a day and night difference between greedy government mandating their ownership of everything and the actions of sinful individuals exercising fraud and personal greed in free economies. The second group can be prosecuted. The first cannot.
Sin cannot be eliminated through any “system,” but it is not predetermined to occur within free economies whereas the inherently sinful nature of tyrannies are unavoidable in socialist states. I am certain Jesus and His earthly father did not shortchange anyone in their carpentry shop.
And wealth, that never existed in the world before, was created when I obtained my patent for a unique design and sold it.
And a proper concern for the poor would be aided with a complete elimination of the job killing minimum wage.
The best job I ever had when I was young paid nothing at all. But I obtained useful skills.
Explain to us what a leveraged buyout is, what causes it ands why you find them objectionable.
What social welfare benefits did the government provide in the 1950’s?
“greed is good”
Wages and salaries have not kept up with the cost of living; and if you look at who benefited most from the money supply increase Biden and Yeltsin brought forth, the poor and middle class did not become (net) wealthier.
Look at the price of new cars and what are the loan terms these days 8 years?
I’d take the 70s all over again instead of this nonaffordable family economy we have now.
Paraphrasing Mamdani: Auschwitz also offered a free commuter train ride, a non-private grocery store, no-cost child care, (frozen) rent stabilization, a (striped) uniform minimum wage… plus certainty about the future!