New York, September 12, 2025
thefulcrum.us
Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America issued a statement on the assassination of conservative political activist and media personality Charlie Kirk.
Kirk, the founder of the political advocacy platform Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on Tuesday while speaking at a Turning Point event at Utah Valley University.
In his statement, Abp. Elpidophoros expresses deep sympathy for the Kirk family while calling on Americans to share in their grief. He warns that political violence threatens democracy itself and urges the nation to reject violence in favor of peaceful discourse and respect for human life.
The Archbishop’s statement reads in full:
Charlie Kirk has been murdered in the prime of his life, leaving behind his beloved wife Erika and their two young children. Their loss is immeasurable, and their grief must be carried by us all. As the Apostle Paul teaches, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Today, America suffers with this family. May the God of all consolation, embrace his wife and her children with His tender mercy and grant them strength in this hour of sorrow.
We must also acknowledge what this act of violence could represent for our nation. To resort to the cowardice of a bullet rather than the power of the word is to inflict a wound upon the very soul of America. “Those who live by the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52), as Christ reminds us. If political violence is allowed to become normalized, we imperil not only human lives but the very fabric of our democracy. We must strive for a united America, where differences are expressed without fear, and where every human life is held sacred. Only in this spirit can we heal the wound that has been opened and turn again toward peace.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
