Richmond FBI field office accused of creating anti-Catholic internal memorandum, 20 AGs sent a letter to the FBI director
Attorney General Jason Miyares and 19 other attorneys general sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland strongly condemning an anti-Catholic internal memo written by the FBI field office in Richmond, Virginia, that was made public on February 8, 2023.
The memo says that Catholics could be a threat because of their religion. The attorneys general want a full explanation of where the document came from and how it was put into action. They also want to know how this document has already affected Virginia’s Catholic population and if the FBI has started to infiltrate places of worship against the FBI’s own rules.
In the memorandum, the FBI makes clear which Catholic beliefs and practices are okay and which are not. The memorandum says that there could be “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists” who are “radical traditionalists.”
The memo says that the FBI thinks these people are Catholics who like traditional Latin mass and teachings from before Vatican II. It also says that the FBI should find “sources with access” in “places of worship.” This means that the FBI should start looking for Catholics who are willing to spy on their fellow Catholics. The information in the document comes from a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center that is not trusted by many people.
“Virginia is the birthplace of religious freedom, and it has a long history of protecting the inalienable right to live your faith without government interference or intimidation. The leaked memo from the FBI office in our state capital is wrong, against the Constitution, and not American. “It’s what I’d expect from a communist country like Cuba,” said Attorney General Miyares. “As Attorney General, it’s my job to protect the rights of Virginians, and religious freedom is one of the most important parts of both the US and VA constitutions. Virginians shouldn’t be called “violent extremists” by their government, and they won’t be called that because of how they worship or what they believe.
In response to public outrage, the FBI tried to fix the situation and said it would review the memo. However, this doesn’t change the fact that it was an official, internal policy document that wasn’t meant for the public to see. Why this document was made in the first place is a question that needs to be answered.
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia all signed Attorney General Miyares’ letter.
Here is the letter.
