WASHINGTON — The Biden administration “zealously” investigated, penalized, and engaged in “aggressive prosecutions” of Christians “with conventional biblical views” — ignoring their conscientious objections and even secretly preserving tabs on Catholic monks, a Division of Justice job power discovered.
The DOJ-led Activity Pressure to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias launched 14 findings Thursday, confirming the forty sixth president’s officers “forc[ed] Christians with conventional biblical views to decide on whether or not to dwell in accordance with their religion or danger violating federal legislation.”
In a 200-page report, the duty power concluded: “The Biden Administration usually tolerated spiritual beliefs that had been privately held however zealously pursued actions to restrict Christians’ capacity to behave in accordance with their religion.”
That included prosecutions of pro-life Christians who got longer sentences than their pro-abortion friends for violations of a federal legislation defending entry to abortion clinics or being pregnant useful resource facilities.
The report additionally unearthed new particulars about a January 2023 FBI memo despatched to a number of subject places of work that referred to as for the concentrating on of “radical-traditionalist” Catholics because of “baseless allegations” from the far-left Southern Poverty Legislation Middle.
The FBI’s Richmond, Va. Discipline Workplace, which first compiled the memo, later probed a “priest and a whole Catholic sect” because of studying {that a} “profession legal” — who was stocking up on weapons and explosive supplies — repeatedly attended a sure church within the commonwealth’s capital.
Brokers who interviewed the repeat offender, Xavier Louis Lopez, famous that he was a self-described “radical conventional Catholic Clerical Fascist” — and, because of his professed beliefs, started monitoring the priest of his onetime parish, in addition to the cleric’s household.
“Lopez had attended Our Woman of Fatima Catholic Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) Chapel for roughly seven months and took part in three or 4 catechism lessons as a part of the method to turn out to be baptized,” a Jan. 5, 2023, e mail from an unnamed FBI worker said.
“FBI Richmond tried to interview the priest … who was not cooperative. Moreover, he has been to see Lopez six occasions in jail,” the e-mail additionally learn. “In accordance with [redacted] he ceaselessly flies again to Kentucky. It seems that his uncle is vital individuals [sic] within the SSPX-MC group.”
“We’d be very occupied with any info that you’ve got on the group, the [sic] arrange a convention name tomorrow or a day subsequent week that works so that you can talk about additional,” the FBI worker added.
The Society of Saint Pius X is a traditionalist Catholic group that rejects most of the reforms imposed on the church following the Second Vatican Council within the mid-Sixties. The group is finest recognized for its assist of the Conventional Latin Mass.
In February 2025, a decide sentenced Lopez to eight years and one month in jail for possessing damaging units. Whereas his arrested was unquestionably “lawful,” the Trump administration job power faulted the Biden-era FBI for utilizing Lopez’s assertion — in addition to the SPLC-inspired memo — “as justification to launch a two-pronged assault in opposition to conventional Catholics.”
“The Richmond Discipline Workplace opened a legislation enforcement profile, generally known as a Guardian profile, on Our Woman of Fatima Catholic Society SSPX Chapel, a church that performed no function in any way in Lopez’s acquisition or possession of the damaging units,” the duty power report famous.
“They interviewed Lopez’s priest … who was uncomfortable and famous that he would want to talk with the church’s attorneys earlier than offering any further details about his congregant,” it additionally said.
Though the priest’s response “was cheap, the Richmond Discipline Workplace considered it as suspicious and used their suspicion as cowl for conducting a broader analysis” of the priest and different conventional Catholics.
After the Richmond memo drew backlash — and public apologies from then-FBI Director Christopher Wray and then-Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland — senior FBI workers privately stood by the coverage of concentrating on “radical-traditionalist” Christians.
Stanley Meador, then the particular agent answerable for the Richmond subject workplace, advised a colleague who authored the now-recalled FBI memo: “No apology wanted.”
“Hold that head up, this too shall move. Will make for an important chapter in your memoirs some day!” he wrote in a July 8, 2023, e mail.
Wray advised members of the Home Judiciary Committee in a listening to the identical month that the memo was “appalling” and “so far as what we are able to inform, didn’t lead to any investigative motion, none.”
The duty power report additionally discovered that the Biden DOJ and Division of Well being and Human Companies reversed efforts underneath the primary Trump administration “to vindicate conscience rights” — together with for “a Christian nurse” who was “coerced … into taking part in an abortion regardless of her spiritual objections.”
Moreover, the Biden administration fined Christian universities at exorbitant charges and penalized different spiritual establishments over points involving ladies’ athletics and vaccine mandates.
“The Biden Administration’s insurance policies repeatedly clashed with a Christian worldview and burdened conventional spiritual practices,” the report concluded.
“These conflicts ceaselessly arose over abortion, gender ideology, and sexual orientation. Finally, the Biden Administration penalized Christians who lived in accordance with their beliefs.”
“No American ought to dwell in worry that the federal authorities will punish them for his or her religion,” stated Performing Lawyer Basic Todd Blanche, who chairs the duty power, in an announcement.
“As our report lays out, the Biden Administration’s actions devastated the lives of many Christian People. That devastation ended with President Trump,” he added.
“The Division of Justice will proceed to reveal unhealthy actors who focused Christians and work tirelessly to revive spiritual liberty for all People of religion.”
The report adopted Trump’s February 2025 govt order on Eradicating Anti-Christian bias within the federal authorities.
