Abp. Elpidophoros: Today, America Suffers With Kirk Family

Archbishop Elpidophoros. Photo: The National Herald

SEPT. 11, 2025 — Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has released a statement on the assassination of conservative personality Charlie Kirk.

The founder of Turning Point USA, who was a rallying figure for young conservatives and close friend of President Donald Trump, was shot in the neck during a public event in Utah on Wednesday. The president later announced that Kirk had died due to the gunshot wound.

The full statement from His Eminence is published below.

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.

Previously, UOJ published an editorial on the Orthodox response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

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