Erika Kirk, the widow of Christian conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, publicly forgave her husband's killer during a memorial service attended by tens of thousands.
The memorial event, honoring Kirk’s life, was held on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and was watched by millions globally.
Among those who eulogized Kirk were President Donald Trump, members of his cabinet, TPUSA staff, Kirk’s pastor, conservative media figures, and renowned Christian musicians.
In her heartfelt speech, Erika Kirk forgave Tyler Robinson, who shot the TPUSA founder on September 10 at Utah Valley University during the "America Comeback Tour."
Referencing the Bible, she said, “on the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,’” and declared, “I forgive him,” prompting heartfelt applause.
She stated, “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, is always love. Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
Erika reflected on her late husband’s and her own faith, recounting Charlie’s speech at TPUSA’s AmericaFest two years ago about “his submission to the will of God.” She highlighted his reference to the Bible verse Isaiah 6:8, which she summarized as proclaiming: “Here I am, Lord, send me.”
She shared, “Eleven days ago, God accepted that total surrender from my husband and then called him to His side. More than anything, Charlie wanted to do not his will, but God’s will. And over these past 11 days, through all the pain, never before have I found as much comfort as I now do in the words of our Lord’s Prayer, ‘Thy will be done.’”
Erika described seeing “the faintest smile” on Charlie’s lips in the hospital, viewing it as “a great mercy from God in this tragedy,” and noted she was told, “Charlie didn’t suffer.”
She narrated another instance of experiencing “God’s mercy and God’s love” after her husband’s death, observing a “revival” rather than violence or unrest.
She remarked, "This past week, we saw people open a Bible for the first time in a decade. We saw people pray for the first time since they were children. We saw people go to a church service for the first time in their entire lives.”
Erika emphasized that “the greatest cause in Charlie’s life was trying to revive the American family.”
“When he spoke to young people, he was always eager to tell them about God’s vision for marriage and how if they could just dare to live it out, it would enrich every part of their life in the same way that it enriched ours.”
