Statement from MCC Executive Director on the Horrific Attack of Minnesota Legislators

CONTACT: 

Chris Mulcahey 

[email protected] 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

June 14, 2025 

Statement from MCC Executive Director on the Horrific Attack of Minnesota Legislators

“We have lost a sense of the dignity of every human person created in the image and likeness of God”

Saint Paul, Minn. – Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, released the following statement:

“I am deeply saddened and angered by the cold-blooded assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as the attempted murder of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

Serving in a position of leadership requires making difficult choices and sticking to one’s word, while not abandoning one’s principles. I can personally attest from working with Representative Hortman that she was such a leader. We disagreed on key issues but still found opportunities to collaborate and solve difficult problems that mattered to Minnesotans generally and Catholics, specifically. We will be praying for the repose of her soul.

Senator Hoffman is a champion of vulnerable people in our communities and is a person of deep conviction. He is also a friend. Minnesota cannot afford to lose his presence in state government and our staff is praying fervently for him and for his family. 

Resorting to violence in public life is never acceptable and begets more violence. Unfortunately, we, as a society, have increasingly embraced violence as a means of solving problems because we have lost a sense of the dignity of every human person created in the image and likeness of God. Until we recover a deeper sense of our common humanity and fraternity, we will continue to see the collapse of both civic discourse and the ability of our political process to mediate conflict and achieve the common good.” 

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