Charlie Kirk by Gage Skidmore / Flickr
Catholic bishops from across the US are lamenting the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, who was shot in the neck during an event at a college in Utah.
“I first met Charlie Kirk about four years ago when I was in Phoenix for a speaking engagement,” Bishop Robert Barron wrote on X. “He reached out and invited me to breakfast. I was deeply impressed by him that day. He was a man of great intelligence, considerable charm, and real goodness of heart.”
The bishop stated that he reconnected with Kirk last year after he saw a video of him debating 25 young people with liberal views. Impressed by Kirk’s charitable and calm demeanor, he asked him to be a guest on the “Bishop Barron Presents” podcast. Kirk was scheduled to record the show this month, and told the bishop, “I’m excited to join you on your show soon. God bless you.”
“That last sentence shows what was most important to Charlie,” Bishop Barron wrote. “He was indeed a great debater and also one of the best advocates in our country for civil discourse, but he was, first and last, a passionate Christian. In fact, when we had that breakfast in Phoenix, we didn’t talk much about politics. We talked about theology, in which he had a deep interest, and about Christ. I know I’m joining millions of people around the world in praying that he rests now in the peace of the Lord.”
Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, released a statement upon Kirk’s assassination, urging the faithful to pray for Kirk and other recent victims of violence.
“What we see unfolding in our nation is a vicious pattern of hatreds rooted in the rejection of God, of the dignity of the human person, and the sanctity of the family,” he wrote. “We can eradicate these ills only through a firm reliance on God, through a deeper devotion to Christ and the Gospel, through a sincere love for persons reflected in law, and through a renewed commitment to justice and public order.”
Bishop Joseph Strickland also called for prayer for Kirk, his wife, and his children.
“Some will say, ‘Our prayer wasn’t answered because Charlie Kirk died,’ but this is not the perspective of those who pray,” Bishop Strickland wrote. “We pray for God’s will and we know our prayer will draw us closer to Him whatever unfolds.”
Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay wrote on his X account, “Together, we lament the death of a husband and father whose life has ended tragically this day. Pray for Charlie Kirk. Pray for his family. And, let us commit ourselves to dialogue which he so emphatically worked to cultivate in our nation.”
After Kirk’s death, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco said, “The violence is horrible and needs to stop, on all fronts. Please pray for him.”
Bishop Michael Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, Texas, wrote, “I am very saddened by the senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk. My heart goes out to his family and all who knew or followed him. When will we learn that violence solves nothing. My prayers are with him and his family!”
