Michael Brooks
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been accused of targeting Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists. A whistleblower, former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin, leaked a memo in February 2023, revealing plans to spy on a Catholic denomination in Richmond, Virginia. The memo, which was circulated to over 1,000 FBI agents, characterized radical-traditionalist Catholics as violent extremists and proposed infiltrating Catholic churches. The FBI has denied conducting investigations based on religious affiliation and rescinded the memo, acknowledging that it did not meet their standards. However, the incident has raised concerns about civil liberties and the potential overreach of government agencies.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the FBI memo | February 2023 |
| Number of FBI employees who received the memo | More than 1,000 |
| Whistleblower | Kyle Seraphin |
| Location of the Catholic Church mentioned in the memo | Richmond, Virginia |
| Type of Catholics mentioned in the memo | "Radical-traditionalist Catholics" (RTCs) |
| FBI's intention | To infiltrate Catholic churches as a form of "threat mitigation" |
| FBI's response to the memo | The memo "does not meet the exacting standards" of the agency and has been removed from the system |
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What You'll Learn
- FBI's categorisation of certain Catholic Americans as domestic terrorists
- FBI's use of undercover agents to target Catholic Church
- FBI's abuse of counterterrorism tools to target Catholic Americans
- FBI's anti-conservative bias and anti-Catholic memo
- FBI's plan to engage in outreach with religious institutions
FBI's categorisation of certain Catholic Americans as domestic terrorists
In 2023, whistleblower and former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin leaked a memo, referred to as the "Richmond memorandum", revealing that the FBI had categorized certain Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists. This memo was prepared by the FBI's Richmond Field Office and proposed opportunities for the FBI to infiltrate Catholic churches to mitigate the threat of domestic terrorism. The memo specifically targeted "radical-traditionalist Catholics" (RTCs), painting them as violent extremists.
The memo was based on findings from sources with known political biases, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Salon, and The Atlantic. It also revealed plans to spy on a Catholic denomination in Richmond, Virginia, citing concerns about the presence of white supremacy within Catholics who preferred the Latin Mass. The FBI has denied any religious bias, stating that they do not conduct investigations based on religious affiliation or practices. However, the memo suggested that Catholic houses of worship were enlisted as sources to monitor and report on parishioners, potentially violating the First Amendment rights of Americans attending church.
Following the whistleblower's disclosure, the House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government launched an investigation. They discovered that the FBI had relied on at least one undercover agent and had interviewed a priest and choir director affiliated with a Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia, as part of their assessment. The Committee's subpoena revealed that the FBI singled out Americans who are pro-life, pro-family, and support the biological basis for sex and gender distinction as potential domestic terrorists.
The investigation also uncovered that the FBI sought to develop sources among the Catholic clergy and church leadership, proposing to engage in outreach with religious institutions in the Richmond area to sensitize them to the warning signs of radicalization. This plan included contacting "mainstream Protestant, Evangelical, Jewish, and Muslim religious organizations." The Committee's report, titled "The FBI's Breach of Religious Freedom: The Weaponization of Law Enforcement Against Catholic Americans," concluded that the FBI had abused its counterterrorism tools to target Catholic Americans and emphasized the need to protect Americans' civil liberties from government overreach.
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FBI's use of undercover agents to target Catholic Church
The FBI has been accused of using undercover agents to target the Catholic Church. In April 2023, FBI Director Christopher Wray was subpoenaed by GOP Representative Jim Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, for an investigation into the agency's handling of a domestic extremism analysis.
Jordan's letter stated that documents from the agency showed that Catholic houses of worship were enlisted as sources to help monitor and report on parishioners. This was done under the guise of tackling the threat of domestic terrorism, with certain "radical-traditionalist Catholics" (RTCs) being painted as violent extremists. The FBI's Richmond memorandum, which was leaked by whistleblower Kyle Seraphin, revealed plans to spy on a Catholic denomination in Richmond, Virginia, as they believed that the threat of white supremacy had "found a home within Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass".
The FBI has denied these claims, stating that they "do not conduct investigations based on religious affiliation or practices, full stop". They also said that the memo "does not meet the exacting standards" of the agency and has been removed from their systems. However, the committee discovered that the FBI relied on at least one undercover agent to develop its assessment and even proposed developing sources among the Catholic clergy and church leadership. This included interviewing a priest and choir director affiliated with a Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia.
The FBI's actions have been criticised as an overreach of government power and a violation of the religious liberties of Catholic Americans. In response to the controversy, FBI Richmond's Special Agent in Charge Stanley Meador met with members of the clergy, including the Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond, to mend the FBI's relationship with the Catholic community.
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FBI's abuse of counterterrorism tools to target Catholic Americans
The FBI has been accused of abusing its counterterrorism tools to target Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists. This came to light in February 2023 when whistleblower and former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin leaked the existence of the Richmond memorandum—an internal FBI memo that proposed targeting “radical-traditionalist Catholics” (RTCs) as violent extremists.
The memo, authored by FBI Richmond, suggested that certain Catholic Americans may be domestic terrorists, citing their theological distinctions, and proposed opportunities for the FBI to infiltrate Catholic churches. Specifically, the FBI sought to develop sources among the Catholic clergy and church leadership, including by engaging in outreach to the leadership of chapels in the Richmond area to enlist their assistance in identifying "warning signs of radicalization." The FBI also interviewed a priest and choir director affiliated with a Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia, while preparing the memo.
In response to the revelations, Chairman Jim Jordan of the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to FBI Director Christopher Wray, requesting documents related to the memorandum and expressing concern that the FBI's actions prevented Americans who attend church from being able to exercise their First Amendment rights.
The FBI has denied any wrongdoing, stating that it does not "conduct investigations based on religious affiliation or practices, full stop." However, the Committee on the Judiciary and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government have been investigating the FBI's categorization of certain Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists and the extent to which the FBI abused its counterterrorism tools to target religious groups. The Committee's subpoena showed that the FBI singled out Americans who are pro-life, pro-family, and support the biological basis for sex and gender distinction as potential targets. The FBI's Richmond office has also been criticized for not apologizing or taking action against the employees involved in creating the controversial memo.
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FBI's anti-conservative bias and anti-Catholic memo
In February 2023, whistleblower Kyle Seraphin revealed the existence of the Richmond memorandum, an FBI-wide memo originating from the FBI's Richmond Field Office. The memo, authored by two FBI employees, concluded that so-called "Radical-Traditionalist Catholics" (RTCs) were likely to resort to violence in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election. As a result, the memo proposed that the FBI should closely monitor these groups and infiltrate Catholic churches.
The memo was based on findings from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a far-left and hyper-partisan group. The FBI's reliance on the SPLC as a source has been criticised, with one FBI agent admitting that " [o]ur overreliance on the SPLC for hate designation [of traditional Catholics] is ... problematic." The memo also cited other politically biased sources, including Salon and The Atlantic.
The Richmond memorandum has been widely criticised as an attack on religious freedom and an example of government overreach. In response to the memo, the House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released an interim staff report titled "The FBI's Breach of Religious Freedom: The Weaponization of Law Enforcement Against Catholic Americans." The report found that the FBI abused its counterterrorism tools to target Catholic Americans as potential domestic terrorists.
In addition to the memo itself, the FBI's handling of the matter has also been criticised. After the memo was publicly disclosed by a whistleblower in 2023, former FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that the Richmond field office only produced "a single product." However, this has been contradicted by the release of additional FBI documents, which show that the memo was widely distributed to over 1,000 FBI employees across the country.
The existence of a second, unpublished draft memo further contradicts Wray's testimony. This draft memo repeated the unfounded link between traditional Catholicism and violent extremism but was never published due to backlash following the Richmond Memo’s public disclosure. Senator Chuck Grassley has urged FBI Director Kash Patel to continue producing records related to the Richmond Memo and to address Wray's misleading response to the memo.
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FBI's plan to engage in outreach with religious institutions
In February 2023, whistleblower Kyle Seraphin revealed the existence of the Richmond Memorandum, an FBI-wide memo that categorised certain "radical-traditionalist Catholics" (RTCs) as violent extremists. The memo proposed that the FBI should infiltrate Catholic churches as a form of "threat mitigation".
The memo was based on information from at least one undercover FBI agent and targeted Catholic Americans with conservative views, including those who are pro-life, pro-family, and support the biological basis for sex and gender distinction. The FBI also sought to develop sources among Catholic clergy and church leadership, including interviewing a priest and choir director affiliated with a Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia.
In response to the memo, GOP Representative Jim Jordan issued a subpoena to FBI Director Christopher Wray, requesting an investigation into the FBI's handling of a domestic extremism analysis. Jordan argued that the FBI's actions prevented Americans who attend church from being able to exercise their First Amendment rights without fear of government surveillance.
The FBI has since rescinded the memo, stating that it does not meet the exacting standards of the agency and that it does not conduct investigations based on religious affiliation or practices. However, the existence of the memo and the FBI's actions have raised concerns about the agency's potential bias against conservative and religious groups.
The FBI's plan to engage in outreach with religious institutions, specifically Catholic parishes and the Society of St. Pius X, was outlined in the Richmond Memorandum. The plan aimed to sensitize congregations to the warning signs of radicalization and enlist their assistance in identifying suspicious activities. The FBI referred to this strategy as "tripwire and source development".
The memo instructed FBI agents in the Richmond area to engage in outreach with the leadership of chapels in the Society of St. Pius X, which holds an irregular canonical status within the Catholic Church. The goal was to educate these congregations about the warning signs of radicalization and encourage them to report any suspicious activities to the FBI.
The FBI also identified two other opportunities for outreach with religious institutions in the Richmond area, although the specific institutions were not named in the released documents. It is likely that these institutions were also Catholic, given the focus of the memo.
The plan was met with strong opposition from religious and political leaders, who argued that it infringed on religious freedom and the separation of church and state. Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares joined a letter with 19 other state attorneys general, requesting that the FBI provide all documents related to the production of the memo. Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout also condemned the memo, emphasizing the importance of religious freedom and the protection of constitutional rights.
The FBI's plan to engage in outreach with religious institutions as a form of counterterrorism sparked controversy and raised concerns about the potential targeting of religious groups. While the FBI argued that it was necessary to mitigate threats, critics believed it infringed on the civil liberties of Americans.
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Frequently asked questions
The FBI memo, leaked by former agent Kyle Seraphin, revealed plans to spy on a Catholic denomination in Richmond, Virginia, as part of an effort to protect people from the threat of white supremacy. The memo also revealed that the FBI intended to use local religious organizations as “new avenues for tripwire and source development”.
The FBI planned to engage in outreach to “mainline Catholic parishes” and “diocesan leadership” to sensitize these congregations to the warning signs of radicalization and to enlist their assistance to serve as suspicious activity tripwires.
Yes, according to GOP Representative Jim Jordan, the FBI used at least one undercover agent to target the clergy and leadership of the Catholic Church.
The FBI claimed that its memo “does not meet the exacting standards" of the agency and that it does not "conduct investigations based on religious affiliation or practices, full stop." The FBI also said that it is not "anti-Catholic in any way, shape, or form".
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