The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has yet to issue a statement on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. It is a full thirteen days after his brutal murder, and we still have heard nothing. Granted, Kirk was not a Catholic, but he was a good Christian man and often publicly professed his faith in Jesus Christ. Kirk also tirelessly defended the unborn, marriage, and the traditional family – topics that at least used to be considered Catholic teaching a decade ago.
Contrast that with the death of George Floyd. Just four days after he died in 2020, the USCCB issued a six-hundred-word statement condemning his death. Here is an excerpt from that statement: “We are broken-hearted, sickened, and outraged to watch another video of an African American man being killed before our very eyes.”
President Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio and other members of the USCCB, were you also broken-hearted and sickened to have watched the violent murder of a white man, Charlie Kirk, before your very eyes? Apparently, the video of Kirk’s murder has not elicited quite as much moral outrage from your organization. Perhaps if Kirk’s followers had torched a few cities and destroyed some police stations in response, it might have gotten your attention.
The same holds for Pope Leo. The Holy See issued no public statement condemning political violence. There was no denunciation of the murder of an unarmed man in cold blood, especially a high-profile Christian public figure. Instead, the pontiff spoke briefly with the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, Brian Burch, in a private audience, saying he was praying for Kirk’s widow and family. How nice of him.
Chris Jackson, in his Substack, Hiraeth in Exile, eloquently answers the question of why these two men’s deaths have been treated so differently by our church leaders.
“Because Kirk is the wrong kind of victim. Floyd’s death advanced a preferred narrative; Kirk’s death exposes the rot of political hatred and leftist violence. One is useful, the other inconvenient. And so the shepherds stay silent.”
After George Floyd’s death, we were also told by our prelates just how racist we all are and what a terrible sin racism is. The USCCB bemoaned, “Racism is not a thing of the past or simply a throwaway political issue to be bandied about when convenient. It is a real and present danger that must be met head on.” Pope Francis also chimed in, “We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form.”
We were also told that the police are instilling fear and creating dangerous situations for marginalized groups. We were admonished for our unconscious bias and prejudice. We were reminded unequivocally “that racism is a life issue.” In fact, we were told that racism in the United States is probably more important than abortion, which only kills 1,000,000 babies per year.
The USCCB even provided cover for the destruction and violence that ensued after Floyd’s death by justifying and tacitly supporting it: “While it is expected that we will plead for peaceful non-violent protests, and we certainly do, we also stand in passionate support of communities that are understandably outraged.”
The USCCB seemed to be able to find a relatively quick and compelling reason for the death of George Floyd, yet cannot seem to comprehend the political assassination of Charlie Kirk by a left-wing, rabid LGBTQ activist? Why were no admonishments on the violent tendencies of the Transgender activists offered, especially in light of the shooting and killing of two Catholic school children in Minneapolis and the brutal murder of Charlie Kirk just a few weeks later?
It is obvious. These men of the cloth are cowards and soft. They fear the backlash they might receive from their friends in the Democratic Party. They sit around in their mansions, fattening themselves up on gourmet food and drink, preaching the gospel of social justice instead of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They talk about the environment and migration when they should be addressing sin and salvation.
Charlie Kirk has put these men to shame. As a lay person with a wife and two small children, he should not have been the one putting his life on the line for his faith. The bishops and cardinals should have been the ones denouncing the depravity of the LGBTQ lifestyle, the immorality of abortion, and the wickedness of our culture. After all, a cardinal wears a scarlet red zucchetto and sash to signify their willingness to shed their blood to defend the Catholic faith. It is hard to imagine that any current cardinal would be willing to die for his faith.
And Charlie Kirk did what all the accompaniment, dialogue, fraternity, and synodality could never do. He spoke the truth plainly and clearly, attracting young and old to the faith. It turns out that going along to get along doesn’t really work. It seems to repel followers instead of attracting them.
Amid all this silence on the death of Charlie Kirk, the Vatican did have time to put on a secular rock concert with a huge light up drone display of Francis’ head. They also invited droves of LGBTQ types to defile St. Peter’s with rainbow crosses, profane slogans, and gay lovers holding hands. And Cardinal Cupich made plans to honor pro-abortion advocate Senator Dick Durbin (IL) with a lifetime achievement award.
God help us!