DOJ labels FBI memo warning of ‘radical-traditionalist Catholic’ ideology a ‘grave failure’

August 31, 2026

The U.S. Department of Justice has called a 2023 FBI memo that sparked outrage for labeling “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology” a national security threat a “grave failure.”

The Christian Post reports that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Weaponization Working Group released a report Thursday regarding the meo from the FBI’s Richmond Field Office warning about the threat posed by “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.”

The document alleged that “the increasingly observed interest of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) in radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology almost certainly presents opportunities for threat mitigation through the exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development.”

The report shows an FBI field office continued working on the document even after it was ordered removed, according to the Christian Post.

The memo also drew criticism for citing the far-left advocacy organization Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) when listing examples of “radical-traditionalist Catholic groups in the U.S.”

The report states: “The Federal Bureau of Investigation is entrusted with the solemn responsibility of protecting the First Amendment rights of all Americans. History will rightly judge the Richmond Catholic Memo as a grave failure of the FBI Richmond Field Office to uphold that responsibility.”

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “[T]he individuals who developed the Richmond Domain Perspective are no longer with the Department, and our Working Group’s efforts to investigate weaponization under the previous Administration will continue.”

The FBI’s Inspection Division concluded that those responsible for the memo did not compile it with “malicious intent or an improper purpose,” but determined that they showed a lack of “professional judgment and failed to adhere to FBI standards.”

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