U.S. Bishops' Religious Liberty Chairman Comments on Leaked FBI Memorandum

February 16, 2023

WASHINGTON - In response to reports of a leaked internal memorandum from the Richmond office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding extremist activity among what the memo termed “radical traditionalist Catholics,” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the USCCB's Committee for Religious Liberty, issued the following statement:

“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. The USCCB roundly condemns such extremism and fully supports the work of law enforcement officials to keep our communities safe.

“I agree with my brother Bishop Barry Knestout that the leaked memorandum was nonetheless 'troubling and offensive' in several respects - such as in its religious profiling and reliance on dubious sourcing - and am glad it has been rescinded. We encourage federal law enforcement authorities to take appropriate measures to ensure the problematic aspects of the memo do not recur in any of their agencies' work going forward.”

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