“On the cross, our Savior said, Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do. That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do.”
At Sunday’s memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, Erika Kirk spoke movingly about her husband Charlie's mission to reach young men who felt adrift, and said she forgave the man accused of taking his life.
“Charlie passionately wanted to reach and save the lost boys of the West. The young men who feel like they have no direction, no purpose, no faith, and no reason to live,” she told thousands gathered inside State Farm Stadium. “The men wasting their lives on distractions and the men consumed with resentment, anger, and hate. Charlie wanted to help them. He wanted them to have a home with Turning Point USA.”
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View on XShe said her husband’s campus visits were driven by a desire to give young men hope. “And when he went onto campus, he was looking to show them a better path and a better life that was right there for the taking. He wanted to show them that.”
In a moving, powerful personal moment, Erika made a connection between Charlie’s mission and his death. “My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life. That young man. That young man.”
Invoking Christ's message, she said, “On the cross, our Savior said, Father, forgive them, for they not know what they do. That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do.”
“The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
Tyler Robinson, 22, was indicted earlier this week for the premeditated murder of Kirk by Utah County prosecutor Jeffrey Gray. Kirk was killed by a single bullet during a live debate event at Utah Valley University.
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