Shortly before his death, Charlie Kirk had accepted request to lead Armenian Christian prayer event
By Catholic Vote | Sept 11, 2025
Dede Laugesen, president of Save the Persecuted Christians, revealed on Sept. 11 that Charlie Kirk — just hours before his assassination — had agreed to lead an event in support of persecuted Armenian Christians.
In a Facebook post, Laugesen, who leads a coalition promoting freedom and independence for Armenia—the world’s oldest Christian nation—announced that Kirk had promised to spearhead an upcoming prayer breakfast for Armenians threatened by the Muslim-majority neighboring country of Azerbaijan.
“Just hours before he was killed, Charlie had committed to be the keynote speaker for the first ever Republic of Armenia’s Prayer Breakfast in Armenia. As a member of the organizing team, we are devastated. There are very few who could fill his shoes,” Laugesen wrote.
She then turned to the day’s liturgical readings.
“Whether you are Catholic or Protestant, today’s readings from the USCCB [Mass readings of the Day] are particularly poignant: ‘Love your enemy’ and ‘do to others as you would have them do to you,’” she added. “God’s Word calls us to rise in faith and answer hate with love.”
Laugesen also reflected on Kirk and his wife, Erika: “The Kirks’ marriage is a sign for American Christians to close the gap between Catholics and Protestants. May we love one another as Charlie & Erika loved each other and as Christ loves sinners. We are all ONE in the Lord.”
Her message concluded with a prayer for the nation: “May God grant peace to our nation and may the people of this nation return to Him with the fervor, zeal and joy embodied in the mind, heart and soul of Charlie Kirk. And, may we never forget our friends and neighbors taken too soon from us on 9/11.”
Laugesen is a seasoned communicator and an outspoken advocate for the religious freedom of Christians worldwide. She has traveled to Armenia several times.
In May, her organization launched a global Catholic initiative, inviting the faithful to join in a nine-day prayer campaign from May 16 to May 24, 2025, dedicated to the Catholic Church in China and calling for an end to the secret agreement between China and the Vatican.