Charlie Kirk Called Pope Francis a "Corrupt Marxist" and "Heretic"

Despite Candace Owens's claim that Kirk was about to convert to Catholicism, he had a very public record opposing Pope Francis, Pope Leo, and the Catholic Church

Charlie Kirk once derided Pope Francis as a “Marxist” and a “corrupted man” who “claimed to lead the Catholic Church.”

In a fiery debate with Catholic commentator Michael Knowles, Kirk pressed the point further: “Why should I care at all what that guy from Argentina has to say? If your pope starts saying crazy things, maybe he’s not the pope?”

(You can watch the full debate below — where he goes after the late pope and the entire Church with some truly awful claims.)

Another time, he argued that Pope Francis was a heretic by “conceding everything and saying what the weakest people want to hear.”

Despite these attacks against the pope and the Catholic Church, many are arguing that the evangelical Christian Kirk, whose widow is a Catholic, was on the verge of converting.

In the days since his death, Candace Owens has added fuel to the speculation.

She claimed that Kirk was moving away from Protestantism, that he had begun praying the rosary and even attending Mass. Owens said she told him in one of their last conversations, “You are too smart to be a Protestant.”

Not everyone agrees. Pastor Rob McCoy, co-chair of Turning Point USA’s faith division, pushed back sharply. He accused Owens of spreading “conspiracy theories,” insisting that Kirk never crossed the line into Catholicism.

While he respected the Church and admired parts of its tradition, McCoy said, Kirk remained Protestant until the end.

The record backs this up. Kirk often spoke warmly about Catholicism.

On his podcast, he praised the Church for its steadfast defense of life, marriage, and truth. He acknowledged that Protestants under-venerate Mary, calling her “VERY IMPORTANT.” He admitted to attending Catholic Mass and said he was drawn to its beauty and tradition.

“Some of my greatest friends in the world are Catholic,” he once said. “I go to Mass every once in a while … but I’m not there yet.”

That final phrase — “not there yet” — is crucial.

Despite his admiration, Kirk never joined OCIA, never received the sacraments, never made the public declarations that come with conversion. He remained skeptical of papal authority and wary of Catholic teaching on the Eucharist and Marian devotion.

His public critique of Francis as a Marxist made clear just how far he stood from Catholic assent to the papacy.

So Owens was right about one thing: Charlie Kirk was drawn to Catholicism. But attraction is not conversion.

At the heart of his public record lies a contradiction — a respect for the Church’s moral witness when it lined up with his political ideology, but a total rejection of it when it didn’t

In the end, Kirk was a man intrigued by the strength and beauty of Catholicism but unwilling, or unable, to practice it — especially when it clashed with his MAGA politics.

Nevertheless, we, of course, continue to pray for his soul and for his widow and children during this horrific time.

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