I have great respect for the Catholic hierarchy. The pope, cardinals, other bishops, priests, deacons, and religious have made incalculable positive contributions to society and the Church. Countless Catholic men and women therein have devoted their lives to pastoral work, education, prison ministry, work among youth, immigrants, the elderly, and many others in need. The work of bishops specifically has also touched me personally.
I was confirmed in the Catholic faith in large part due to the legacy of the late Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen of Seattle. His work for peace, LGBTQ+ people, and his assignment of women as pastoral life directors at local parishes were but a few of his contributions. I applaud the similar justice-focused work of several living prelates, including but not limited to Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, and Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington.
I love the Catholic faith and am proud of our legacy of service, ministry, and work around the world—including in dangerous, war-torn and hostile environments. Even right now, bishops, priests, and religious in the Southern Hemisphere are engaged in courageous work on behalf of the Gospel and the common good.
This is why I am profoundly disturbed at the public comments made recently by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk, whom the archbishop called “a modern-day St. Paul.” Dolan also claimed that his death will renew the faith of young people.
“He was a missionary, he's an evangelist, he's a hero. He's one I think that knew what Jesus meant when he said the truth will set you free.”
(Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Fox & Friends, Sept. 19)
Cardinal Timothy Dolan on Fox & Friends on Charlie Kirk: "This guy is a modern day St Paul. He was a missionary, he's an evangelist, he's a hero. He's one I think that knows what Jesus meant when he said 'the truth will set you free.'" pic.twitter.com/6O6YZuXRfW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 19, 2025
To be clear, Kirk’s killing was a senseless act, one of the approximately 14,000 gun violence homicides every year, or 38 per day.. His assassination was made possible by the uniquely American proliferation of guns—which Kirk defended—and untreated mental illness. Kirk toured college campuses and other institutions spreading what he understood as Christian truth. For me, however, that “truth” was irreparably stained with racism, homophobia, and White Supremacy. Even a cursory listen of his various public comments reveals a disdain for Black Americans that is, frankly, stunning. The same holds true for LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, women, and anyone who is not a White American male.
Kirk made comments about Black pilots, judges, and others being unqualified for their positions. This trope, and the assumption they are stealing jobs from White people, is chilling. Such rhetoric is not new and, sadly, has been a precursor to acts of racist violence in America. Thus, for me, Kirk’s words were not God’s truth but White racism cloaked in Christianity, messages of evil seeking sanctification and blessing from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, the young Christians who Cardinal Dolan says will be spiritually inspired by Kirk are clearly not the Black or Hispanic youths he so consistently maligned. And the archbishop surely did not mean the Black girls or women who were the subject of some of Kirk’s most hostile and heartless comments.
Among other matters that were crucial even in the mid-20th century, the Second Vatican Council reaffirmed the role of Catholic bishops. Its pastoral decree “Christus Dominus” noted that such prelates are to “perpetuate the work of Christ, the Eternal Pastor.” Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, “bishops have been constituted true and authentic teachers of the faith.” As it is, Dolan and many other U.S. bishops have fallen woefully short of this standard. It is one thing to err and stumble in our Christian walk through human weakness. It is quite another, however, to promote views (or those who teach views) fundamentally opposed to God’s reign of love and justice.
In the Hebrew Bible, the prophet Isaiah speaks of the acceptable fast, or proper religious devotion, as letting the oppressed go free, satisfying the needs of the afflicted, and feeding the hungry. Jesus, in his Last Supper discourse, tells his followers: “Love one another, as I have loved you.” These are basic Christian teachings. The commandment to love God and others supersedes, according to Jesus, all the other commandments and doctrines. Catholic social teaching provides a further roadmap for the modern Catholic call to work for justice, human dignity, and the common good.
From his public comments, it appears that Cardinal Dolan has misplaced priorities and holds absolutely no obligation to the Black and brown members of the Church or society. It seems his position as a privileged White male in America is far more important than his role to “perpetuate the work of Christ.” Indeed, if the work of Christ has anything in common with the rhetoric of Charlie Kirk, I should soon be looking for another faith.
Daryl Grigsby is the author of “In Their Footsteps: Inspirational Reflections on Black History For Every Day of the Year.” He is on the board of directors for Color Me Human and has a Master’s in Pastoral Studies from Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry.
