People reported suspicious activity near a Latin Mass church after an FBI memo on “radical-traditional Catholics.”
Exclusive: FBI Agents Suspected of Placing Traditional Catholic Church Under Surveillance
Two parishioners from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel in Linden, Virginia, reported seeing men in two vehicles acting suspiciously in the church parking lot. The incident occurred a few weeks after the FBI’s Richmond Office published an internal memo regarding “radical-traditional Catholics.”
The Daily Signal obtained an exclusive report from the witnesses, who claimed that the men were surveilling the church parking lot and writing down license plate numbers. One witness suspected that it was the FBI, but could not confirm since the person never got out of the car.
Leaked Document from FBI’s Richmond Field Office
Last month, FBI whistleblower Kyle Seraphin published a leaked document from the bureau’s Richmond Field Office that explicitly points to “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists in radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.” The document drew attention to the so-called Radical-Traditional Catholic, someone who rejects the Second Vatican Council as a valid church council, shows disdain for most of the popes elected since Vatican II, and frequently adheres to anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, and white supremacy views.
The memo included the Society of Saint Pius X, which supports Latin Mass and is affiliated with the Sacred Heart of Mary Chapel.
FBI Denies Knowledge of the Situation
A spokesperson from the bureau’s national office in Washington, D.C, denied any knowledge of the situation in a statement to The Daily Signal. Faith-based advocacy group CatholicVote filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department and FBI last week for failing to provide a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to a leaked memo from the bureau targeting “Radical Traditional Catholics.”
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said last month that internal documents released by House Judiciary Committee showed at least one undercover FBI employee sought to monitor parishioners in Catholic houses of worship to combat domestic terrorism using tripwire and sources.
The FBI told The Daily Wire the agency received the subpoena, adding the bureau “recognizes the importance of congressional oversight and remains fully committed to cooperating with Congress’s oversight requests consistent with its constitutional and statutory responsibilities.”
Protecting Religious Freedom
Religious freedom is a fundamental right that must be protected. The actions of the FBI in surveilling a traditional Catholic church are concerning and raise questions about the agency’s respect for religious liberty. It is important that the FBI be held accountable for any violations of religious freedom and that steps are taken to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
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