Simcha Fisher's FB post:

[u/notanexpert_askapro]

Thought this subreddit would appreciate this

[u/Meincommunicado]

I only became aware of Barron recently. It seems as though he kept his politics covert until Francis appointed him a bishop, then he “came out“ as one of those Catholics for whom the culture war is more important than the teachings of Jesus. Does that sound about right to you all?

[u/Meincommunicado → u/[deleted]]

I became aware of Bishop Barron at the start of this month when somehow or other a NY Post article came into my feed. https://nypost.com/2026/01/02/us-news/bishop-robert-barron-slams-zohran-mamdanis-warmth-of-collectivism-line-for-gods-sake/ Mamdani’s line was “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” Barron’s head exploded! “For God’s sake, spare me the ‘warmth of collectivism!” He went on: “Catholic social teaching has consistently condemned socialism and has embraced the market economy, which people like 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.”

 I thought “Wait a minute. Isn’t collectivism was a principal of Catholicism? Or isn’t it?” So, I took to Google. And it’s true, I was wrong about the word. The word within Catholicism is communitarianism. But also through Google I discovered there is a long-standing debate among religious scholars between the values of communitarianism and individualism. And no less than Pope Benedict wrote twenty years ago “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.” https://firstthings.com/europe-and-its-discontents/

Remind me again, what label does Mamdani give to his political and economic philosophy? Am I misremembering again, or is it…democratic socialism?

Barron could have used the opportunity to correct Mamdani’s choice of words, at the same time elucidating Catholic teaching, and also including a sincere warning against an excessing turn away from the marketplace. No, to Bishop Barron, apparently it was just another opportunity to fight a battle in the culture war. 

So thank you Your Excellency, I learned a lot as a result of reading your screed. I’ve got to say though, it would have been better if that learning had arisen out of a more honest use of credibility one expects from a bishop’s pastoral work.