FBI’s coordinated attacks on Catholics, contrary to Chris Wray’s claims, involve several field offices targeting traditionalists and infiltrating religious services.
By Eileen Griffin
Multiple field offices of the FBI collaborated on a plan to target people of the Catholic faith.
Congressman and House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jim Jordan (R-OH) questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray about a memo revealing the intended investigation of Catholics, American Greatness reports.
The plan was initially thought to be limited to the Richmond, Virginia field office; however, other FBI locations were involved. The Richmond office developed plans in coordination with several other field offices to investigate Catholic Americans.
The memo directing the investigation of Catholics is titled, “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities.” The memo claims that traditional Catholics may be violent extremists and racists.
The memo advises that the FBI will be tracking Catholics who attend the traditional Latin mass and who use, “language indicative of adherence to RTC (radical traditional Catholic) ideology in social media postings.”
The investigation would include infiltrating Catholic masses and reaching out to leaders in each diocese for information, Christian Post reports. They intended to use local religious organizations as informants.
The source of the memo is the Southern Poverty Law Center (SLPC). The committee expressed concern about the use of such a biased source. The involvement of the SPLC is consistent with the history of anti-Catholic positions of the SLPC.
The SPLC labels several religious groups as hate groups, including the Alliance Defending Freedom, Focus on the Family, and most recently, Moms for Liberty.
SPLC makes millions of dollars by smearing people, says John Stossel
“Today the center smears people who don’t deserve to be smeared,” Stossel said on ReasonTV. “Once you get labelled a hate group, you become a target.”
Moms for Liberty is a group that supports parents in local school board races across the country. Moms for America is a group that promotes freedom, patriotism, and family.
“Today the SPLC even smears groups like Moms for Liberty and Moms for America, calling them anti-government extremists because they oppose sexually explicit content in schools, and seek school board seats to try to stop…school districts [from] disregarding the opinions of parents,” Stossel wrote.
“Catholics in the United States are being maligned by the federal government, and it’s time to address what is becoming a serious challenge to religious freedom,” writes Andrea Picciotti-Bayer in an op-ed for Fox News.
Although President Joe Biden is Catholic, his administration is engaging in religious profiling, Picciotti-Bayer writes.
“Typically, Biden has said nothing in defense of his co-religionists, while constantly reminding the American people of the important role of religion in his life.”
It is the responsibility of those elected to political office to constitutionally protected rights such as freedom of religion, but many people of faith do not seek elected office ceding that territory to those who would work against religious liberty.
“It is critically important for those who get elected to bring about positive change,” Dr. Michael Brown, author, podcast host, and an international speaker on spiritual renewal and cultural reformation told Heartland Daily News. “Many Christians have dropped out of politics. They have hope after finally electing someone they think will stand with conviction, but then they compromise. [Newly elected officials] want to appear moderate and reasonable but in doing so, they betray those who elected them.” Brown says.
“Most of us are not called to politics,” Brown says. “I would remind every legislator that they answer to God for every vote they cast. They owe it to their constituents to do what is right. I would tell them to please use the power and influence you have to do what is good. Put that before your political success and God will bless you for it.”
After new information revealed the involvement of more FBI field offices than Director Christopher Wray disclosed to the House Judiciary Committee, Jordan and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La) sent a letter to Wray requesting a more thorough explanation of the investigation.
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