FBI Retracts Memo Targeting Traditional Catholics

The FBI has retracted a January 23rd memo titled “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities” that purported ties between Catholics that attend the Latin Mass and white supremacists.

The memo was condemned by the USCCB and several prominent bishops. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, chair of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, issued a statement on the document. “Let me first be clear: Anyone who espouses racism or promotes violence is rejecting Catholic teaching on the inherent dignity of each and every person.” Cardinal Dolan made it clear that white supremacist views have no place within the Catholic Church.

However, he also emphasized that the nature of the FBI memo was troubling, particularly “in its religious profiling and reliance on dubious sourcing” and that he was glad that the FBI had rescinded the memo. He cautioned that he hoped that the contents of the memo, and the disturbing trend of labeling Catholics as extremists, would not permeate future activity by the FBI.

The FBI has since retracted the document, stating that “it does not meet our exacting standards.” While this may be true, the document itself states that it made its assessment “with a high degree of confidence.” The FBI has not explained the process by which the information of the document was reviewed for inclusion. It is also not clear that the document would have been retracted were it not leaked.

The FBI has justified monitoring of religious groups for the purpose of monitoring terrorism in the past. The ACLU previously reported that in 2006, an FBI agent pretended to convert to Islam and began spying on Orange County Muslims. He gathered information from hundreds of Muslims, but was reported to the police by the community once he began to espouse extremist views.

Cardinal Dolan and the rest of the USCCB are expressing worries that something similar will occur within traditionalist Catholic communities. The FBI memo states that there is ideological overlap between traditional Catholics and extremist groups, including abortion and LGBTQ. However, the memo does not distinguish what separates the beliefs of traditional Catholics from the mainline beliefs of the Catholic Church on these issues.

For example, the Catholic Church holds that abortion is gravely immoral and advocates for its legal restriction. This is presumably an overlapping belief between traditional Catholics and extremists that the FBI is highlighting. Does this qualify as a position that would warrant monitoring by the FBI? If so, then there is nothing that would stop the FBI from spying on the Catholic Church writ large.

The USCCB recognizes that what happened to Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11 could happen to Catholics. They want to make sure that Catholics who are merely adhering to the beliefs of the Church are not going to be unfairly targeted for their faith. The FBI retracted the memo, which seems to signal that the Church will be safe for now, but the threat of persecution still looms.