Published on December 7, 2023, 1:24 am

Following the 9/11 attacks, various left-leaning media emphasized the surveillance conducted by the New York City Police Department of mosques as a measure to curb Islamic extremism. Notably, limited coverage was given when news surfaced in February that the FBI office in Richmond, Virginia had considered surveilling Catholic churches to detect potential threats from extreme Catholics.

The Biden administration continues to propagate the narrative that white conservatives and Christian nationalists are America’s major domestic terrorism risks. The Richmond branch of the FBI generated an internal memorandum titled “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities.” From this document, there was a reported high level of confidence that efforts would yield leads on Catholic extremists.

Observations from Chairman Jim Jordan’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government suggest that at least one undercover agent was leveraged by the FBI to facilitate their assessment. Strikingly, it appeared proposals were being made within the bureau to cultivate sources amongst Catholic clergy and church leaderships. For instance, they have reportedly interviewed a priest and choir director related to a local Catholic Church in Richmond.

This surveillance operation targeted a Richmond church aligned with the Society of St.Pius X – a faction of traditionalist priests and bishops unrecognized by official church law. Despite this infiltration into religious institutions, no apparent threat has been uncovered. This stirs questions regarding their motivation for such an inquiry.

People seemingly face monitoring for holding far-right political perspectives or religious beliefs and aligning with pro-family advocacy groups. Internal documents procured via committee subpoena suggest that pro-life campaigners supporting sex and gender distinctions based on biological foundations were suspected as potential domestic terrorists according to FBI reports.

Two authors of these controversial memoranda later admitted knowing their resource material bore political bias – sourced primarily from leftist entities including but not restricted to Southern Poverty Law Center, Salon.com, and The Atlantic. Despite the shortcomings of the initial memo, which led to its withdrawal from circulation within field offices, there still seems to be an apparent desire from FBI Richmond to disseminate information about radical-traditionalist Catholics.

In a recent event. Senator Josh Hawley queried Christopher Wray, the FBI Director, about potential terrorist-breeding activities now supposedly originating in Catholic choirs. This investigation imbalance was highlighted by Hawley while suggesting religious liberty infringements implicated through the Richmond memo pointing at Catholic Churches as sources of clerical fascism.

Further action by the Justice Department added fuel to this narrative – notably with their raid on pro-life activist Mark Houck’s residence in 2022. A SWAT team’s excessive show of force over an alleged violation of clinic access freedom reinforces concerns about disproportionate response. The most dangerous extremists may not necessarily always wear the faces we anticipate, as government reactions sometimes mirror excessive behaviors they purport to combat.

In conclusion, in looking for real news and trusted news anchored in a Christian worldview, it is important to assess these events and narratives critically rather than accepting them at face value.