House investigations revealed the FBI unlawfully spied on a Catholic priest who refused to breech a parishioner’s confidentiality.

Reports show that a Richmond priest with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) was interrogated by federal agents after he visited a jailed parishioner. When the priest declined to reveal details of the conversation, the FBI’s Richmond Field Office launched a full investigation into the priest including his personal financial information.

The Richmond Field Office was also responsible for the anti-Catholic memo that parroted debunked Sothern Policy Law Center conspiracy theories and talking points.

According to an FBI presentation, the Department of Justice considered things like the Traditional Latin Mass and “conservative family values/roles” to indicate radicalized and potentially violent ideology. (RELATED: Supreme Court Sides with Interfaith Parents’ Rights)

When asked by law enforcement to reveal details, FBI agents say the priest “requested to speak with the church’s leadership and attorney.” This caused agents to classify the priest as “uncooperative” and launch a “formal investigative assessment.”

Virginia law and federal law both protect confessional conversations with clergy and the Catholic Church prohibits priests from violating the seal of confession. Even progressive churches such as the Presbyterian Church in the US officially support policies protecting religious confidentiality.

A 2023 report from the House Judiciary Committee found that the FBI repeatedly discriminated against and targeted traditional Catholics, parents who attended school board meetings, and other politically inconvenient groups. In his first hours in office, President Trump signed an Executive Order ending the weaponization of the federal government.

“FBI employees believed without evidence that mainstream Catholic churches could serve as a pipeline to violent extremist behavior,” the House interim report stated. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the FBI disrespected and potentially violated the Constitutionally protected religious liberties of faithful Americans.”

Internal audits by the Biden-era Department of Justice claimed there was “no evidence” of religious targeting, but the results of the House Judiciary Committee investigation disproved those findings. Memos revealed FBI weaponization against churches was directly guided by Attorney General Merrick Garland. (RELATED: Court Protects Loudoun County Teacher’s Religious and Speech Freedoms)