Bishop Robert Barron slams Zohran Mamdani 'warmth of collectivism' line: ‘For God’s sake’

By Fox News · Fox News

Prominent Catholic leader Bishop Robert Barron slammed socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ’s inauguration line promoting the "warmth of collectivism," saying, "God’s sake, spare me." During his inaugural address, the newly minted socialist mayor and New York’s first Muslim mayor, declared, "We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism ." The line caused immediate backlash from many conservatives, who expressed alarm at such a phrase being said by the leader of America’s biggest city. Barron, a popular podcaster and founder of "Word on Fire," took to X to write that Mamdani’s declaration "took my breath away." MAMDANI SWORN IN BY AG JAMES IN PRIVATE MIDNIGHT CEREMONY "He said he intended to replace ‘the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.’ Collectivism in its various forms is responsible for the deaths of at least one hundred million people in the last century," wrote Barron. "For God’s sake, spare me the ‘warmth of collectivism,’" he said. "Socialist and Communist forms of government around the world today — Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, etc. — are disastrous," explained Barron, noting that "Catholic social teaching has consistently condemned socialism and has embraced the market economy, which people like Mamdani caricature as ‘rugged individualism.’" Barron said that "in fact, it is the economic system that is based upon the rights, freedom, and dignity of the human person." HOURS AFTER TAKING OFFICE, NYC MAYOR MAMDANI TARGETS LANDLORDS, MOVES TO INTERVENE IN PRIVATE BANKRUPTCY CASE Barron was not the only one who voiced their alarm about Mamdani’s declaration. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X that the "warmth" of collectivism "always requires coercion and force." "How many dead over the past 100 years due to collectivist ideologies?" DeSantis added. Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, chimed in, "When communists rule, individual rights — invariably — are taken away." Since bein…