The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii expresses
its sorrow at the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk during a campus event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. This latest act comes on the heels of recent political violence against Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, John, and other similar tragedies in what appears to be a growing trend.
The Diocese unequivocally condemns political violence in any form within our society, which is built on the idea that civil discourse and respectful engagement with differing viewpoints strengthen our nation and preserves our unity. In our democracy, we express our ideas with ballots and never resort to bullets when we disagree.
As we in the Coptic Orthodox Church mark the ecclesiastical New Year on September 11 and remember the countless martyrs who suffered violence for the sake of their Christian faith, we must stand together and reject violence as a response to ideological differences. The Holy Apostle Paul wrote in the reading for the New Year, “Now all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…” (2 Co 5:18). Let us therefore be reconciled with God and with one another in all our conduct.
We pray for the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit for the family of Charlie Kirk and all those mourning this tragedy.
We call upon our great nation to labor tirelessly for the sake of unity, civility, and peace while affirming such acts of violence have no place in our society.
