Erika Kirk forgives husband's killer at memorial, Christian leaders hail powerful witness

Erika Kirk publicly forgave her husband's alleged killer during his memorial service in Glendale, Arizona, on Sept. 21, 2025, a moment that drew international attention to a public act of Christian forgiveness. Charlie Kirk, a political activist, was 31 when he was fatally shot Sept. 10 while speaking at a Utah campus. Prosecutors charged Tyler Robinson with murder after he admitted to shooting Kirk in a text message to his roommate and transgender partner, saying that he had enough of Kirk's hatred.

Addressing a crowd at State Farm Stadium, Erika Kirk delivered a tearful message that contrasted pain with grace. "My husband, Charlie. He wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life. On the cross, Our Savior said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' That young man… I forgive him," she said. "I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it's what Charlie would do." She added, "The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love — always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us."

Faith leaders across the country praised the moment as a powerful public witness. Bishop Robert Barron, who attended the memorial, called it "one of the most impressive and moving displays of the Gospel I have ever experienced." He said, "Jesus speaks of loving and forgiving our enemies, but this is one of the very hardest of his teachings to realize in practice. That Erika Kirk was able to pronounce a word of forgiveness to her husband’s assassin, even as her heart must have been breaking, was breathtaking." He noted that the response to Kirk's killer celebrations online stood in stark contrast to the memorial's message and described the act as a chance for Christians to model forgiveness in a culture grappling with hostility.

Rev. Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said countless people around the world witnessed the power of God through Kirk's testimony. "The world just witnessed something incredible. Erika Kirk — while grieving the death of her husband and the father of their two young children — forgave his killer. Erika did it so well, straight from her heart. To forgive like this is very difficult to do. It is possible only through the grace of God," Graham told Fox News Digital.

Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills said the moment demonstrated that God’s grace is stronger than evil. "When she said, ‘I forgive that young man,’ she could only do that from the strength of God because Erika knows what it’s like to be forgiven. And by doing that, she sends a message to this young man that her act of goodness and grace is greater and much more powerful than his act of evil," Hibbs told Fox News Digital. Charlie Kirk and his wife, Erika, and their two children were photographed together at Christmas in 2024, underscoring the family’s shared faith and public life.

Christian singer Chris Tomlin, who led worship at the service, said Kirk's words could plant the seeds for a spiritual awakening. "That kind of forgiveness can only come from somebody who really walks with God," Tomlin told The Christian Post. "And for people to see that and witness that — what a moment around the world. I pray it’s an awakening in this nation." Kristine Parks is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

The leaders noted that Kirk's act stood in stark contrast to those online who celebrated the death. Graham praised the crowd for lifting up the name of Jesus Christ, while Barron warned of a cultural rot that forgiveness and grace can confront. "There have been very few times when I have seen the name of Jesus Christ lifted up for the world to see quite like this, and I am grateful to Erika for showing millions of people around the world what it looks like to live — and forgive — like Christ," Graham said. Barron added that Christians are called to be light in the darkness and to invite repentance through acts of love and forgiveness.

The memorial also drew attention for its emphasis on reconciliation over vengeance and for the broader question it posed about forgiveness in public life. Hibbs suggested the act could empower believers to endure hostility while extending grace, a theme that resonates with many who interpret Christianity as a countercultural witness. He emphasized that forgiveness does not erase pain but redefines the response to violence through faith and mercy.

In the middle of the service, another image from the memorial captured Erika Kirk looking up toward the stands, a moment many described as reflective of the personal grief behind the public forgiveness.

The service highlighted the family’s resilience and the potential for forgiveness to influence national conversations about faith, forgiveness, and forgiveness in public life. The event prompted discussion among religious leaders about how churches might respond when confronted with violence and hatred, and whether such acts can serve as catalysts for reverence and renewal across communities. The gathering was broadcast to millions and drew praise from Christian leaders and commentators who framed the moment as a powerful demonstration of living faith in the face of tragedy. Critics, meanwhile, cautioned against assuming forgiveness as a universal remedy for violence, but they acknowledged the moment’s significance as a public witness.

As the memorial concluded, leaders urged believers to consider how forgiveness could be extended to those who hurt them, and whether Erika Kirk’s example might influence others to adopt a posture of grace in difficult circumstances. The event remains a notable marker in discussions about faith, culture, and the role of religious testimony in national life.