(LifeSiteNews) — Young men are embracing Catholicism because it is “ancient” and “beautiful” evangelical Charlie Kirk told Tucker Carlson recently, echoing observations made by secular news outlets, priests, and prelates.
Kirk, the CEO of conservative student group Turning Point USA, recently appeared on The Tucker Carlson Show to discuss Gen Z, politics, and social trends.
While some young men struggle with mental health issues, including suicidal ideation, Kirk said there is hope.
“Young men are going back to church, that is legit,” Kirk, who is 31 years old, said. “That’s happening because honestly it’s the only thing that they can find… it’s a life raft in this just tsunami of chaos and disorder.”
He explained why young men are interested in Catholic and Orthodox churches instead of evangelical churches.
“They want something that is ancient and that is beautiful,” Kirk said. “Something that has stood the test of time, something that’s not going to change, something that’s all of a sudden not going to all of a sudden just flip around and have some sort of… ‘transgender story hour’.”
“So that’s a really positive trend,” he said. He urged young men to “stop watching” pornography and smoking marijuana and to attend church instead.
“Find a woman, marry her, provide, have more kids than you can afford,” Kirk said, echoing comments Carlson had previously made to The College Fix.
While Kirk and Carlson spoke positively about Catholics during the interview, they also suggested Martin Luther and Protestantism in general was a major factor behind the growth of the United States.
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) July 23, 2025
“The people who founded the country were Protestants, I’m as pro-Catholic as anyone can be,” Carlson said.
“However, this country was founded by Protestants because they think for themselves. They’re the heirs of Martin Luther who took on the 1,500-year-old Church by himself,” Carlson said, appearing to praise the schism. The Catholic Church, in fact, is well known for its great “thinkers,” such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine.
Kirk’s comments follow a recent viral clip where he called on his fellow Protestants to “venerate Mary.”
“I think we as Protestant evangelicals under-venerate Mary. She was very important. She was a vessel for our Lord and Savior,” Kirk said. “I think that we as evangelicals and Protestants, we’ve over-corrected. We don’t talk about Mary enough. We don’t venerate her enough.”
“There’s something there. In fact, one of the ways I believe we fix toxic feminism in America is, Mary is the solution,” Kirk said.
“Have more young ladies be pious, be reverent, be full of faith, slow to anger, slow to words at times. She’s a phenomenal example, and I think a counter to so much of the toxicity of feminism in the modern era.”
