Published on December 6, 2023, 12:47 am

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has recently been under fire from Catholic leaders. This comes after the revelation by the House Judiciary Committee that federal agents interviewed a priest and a choir director amidst an investigation into Radical-Traditional Catholics as potential domestic threats. Such breaking news has incited numerous concerns regarding what seems to be the illegitimate targeting of Catholics by the FBI.

Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, voiced his concerns stating, “The FBI effort involved at least four field offices, authorized the use of undercover agents to infiltrate Catholic parishes, and used a Catholic priest and a choir director to inform on one of their parishioners.” The involvement of these agents signifies real news reflecting discrimination against those adhering to religious doctrines.

This need for investigation into the FBI was prompted when ex-agent Kyle Seraphin blew the whistle on an internal memo by the bureau’s Richmond Field Office. The disclosed document cast radical-traditionalist Catholics as violent extremists and suggested plans for FBI intrusion into Catholic churches—under the guise of threat mitigation. For advocates of a Christian worldview this is undoubtedly disconcerting, amplifying uncertainties about religious freedom violations.

In response to these findings, Burch seeks trusted news answers from CBS News on pressing questions including who spearheaded this operation against Catholics and whether anyone had been held accountable.

Whistleblower revelations further disclose that FBI authorities interviewed members of The Society of Saint Pius (SSPX)—a global society backing traditional practices linked with a Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia. However, federal agents have withheld information about these interviews which were allegedly conducted around November to December 2022.

During Tuesday’s hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated these investigations were connected not with surveillance on specific religious groups but with individuals reportedly threatening violence—a claim later supported by Fox News.

One glaring inconsistency discovered in these proceedings was the ambiguous term “radical traditionalist Catholics” used in drafting anti-Catholic documents. Further troubling observations were the memo’s circulation to multiple field offices—including those in Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and Portland—perplexing given Wray’s earlier testimony that it was limited to one office.

Adding woes towards understanding these unanticipated investigations is St.Louis senator Josh Hawley’s questioning of Wray on the expanding scope of this controversial memo—an enquiry met with much resistance from Director Wray.

Revelations also indicated that at least one undercover agent was present during Catholic religious services as part of the intelligence gathering process against Catholics. This real news highlight is evidence of deeply ingrained prejudice within governing bodies—a reality both alarming and concerning from a Christian worldview perspective.

The discovery by senior fellow Ashley McGuire of the Catholic Association depicts this as infringement upon fundamental civil liberties, revealing “Catholics everywhere—from Choirlofts to rectories—were being surveilled by an agency meant to protect American citizens.”

This breaking news story has since spurred into action FBI authorities who quickly attempted damage control by retracting the anti-Catholic memo emphasizing their commitment to upholding First Amendment rights. An internal review disclosed no malicious intent to target Catholics or members of any particular faith group—a revelation that intends to bring tranquility in such tumultuous times but remains subject to further scrutiny.