House Committee Reveals FBI Spied on Catholic Priest Over Private Parishioner Talks

A report released by the House Judiciary Committee reveals that the FBI's Richmond office spied on a Catholic priest who refused to disclose private conversations with a parishioner, raising significant religious liberty concerns. The FBI investigated the priest's ordination, finances, travel, and credit card use after he declined to discuss sensitive details about the parishioner, citing the need to consult church leadership and legal counsel. The agent incorrectly asserted that the priest-penitent privilege did not apply because the parishioner had not completed catechism or been baptized, contradicting Virginia law protecting such confidential communications. The investigation was deemed unlawful and lacking legitimate law-enforcement purpose, with evidence suggesting the surveillance extended beyond the Richmond office, involving the national FBI headquarters. The probe was part of a broader FBI effort to investigate so-called "radical traditionalist" Catholics, linking them to far-right movements, based on controversial sources including the Southern Poverty Law Center, though the agency later disavowed the initiative. Lawmakers and critics have condemned the FBI's actions as a breach of constitutional rights and religious freedom, highlighting the troubling overreach into protected clergy-parishioner communications.