We use the word martyr pretty lightly these days. Any victim might become a martyr and some unworthy people (or their defenders) have sought to magnify certain victims and, if possible, turn them into martyrs in order to further a political or personal agenda.

There are two definitions of martyr that might be applied to Charlie Kirk: two questions to ask. First, the definition the Catholic Church uses when determining if a person is a martyr. If they died tragically for some other reason the church grieves their death, but they are not necessarily deemed a martyr. So, for example, a tragic death of a pious young person may well cause a groundswell of grief, rage and horror, but these strong emotions do not qualify to make the person a martyr. If they die for a political agenda, a personal agenda or some worthy cause like ending a war or some injustice that doesn’t mean they were a martyr. I’m thinking of a nun in South America some time ago who was protesting the ecological destruction of the rainforest by big. forestry companies. She was assassinated and died for the cause, but even though she was a nun, I don’t think she was called a martyr.

To officially be declared a martyr by the Catholic Church four criteria are necessary. 1. They must have been killed 2. The motive for their murder must be odium fidei or hatred of the Catholic faith 3. The victim must freely and consciously accept death without resistance, seeking only to witness to the faith—not suicide or provoking death. The martyr endures it as an act of love and obedience to God, forgiving persecutors if possible. 4.The person must be a baptized Catholic (or, in rare cases, a catechumen via “baptism of blood”). Heretics or schismatics are excluded, as martyrdom requires fidelity to the full truth of the Catholic faith.

Charlie Kirk was murdered in a horrific act of violence not only in public but also in front of his wife and two young children. We should also be clear–he died because of hatred of the faith. He was an outspoken Christian and said repeatedly that all of his controversial opinions were rooted in his Christian faith. It is true that he had conservative political opinions and alliances with political figures, but when the killer is found I predict that the motive will be hatred of Charlie’s religion–or opinions directly springing from his Christian faith. The third criteria would seem to apply since I suspect Charlie Kirk had plenty of death threats and accepted the risk as part of his calling. Finally, Charlie was not a Catholic, but reports from various Catholic sources say he was open to the Catholic religion and was probably on the path to Rome. Charlie therefore will not be included in the formal list of Catholic martyrs, but we have always recognized that sincere followers of Jesus Christ who have been baptized are also members of Christ’s church even though not in full communion.

The second definition of martyr is the meaning of the word itself which is simply “Witness”. Charlie lived and died witnessing to his faith in Jesus Christ so, in that sense he is a true martyr.

What we, as a nation and as Christians make of this senseless death will be seen in the months and years to come.