A Department of Justice task force released a 200-page report Thursday revealing that the Biden administration conducted aggressive investigations and prosecutions against Christians holding traditional biblical views, including secret surveillance of Catholic priests and their families.
Task Force Uncovers Systematic Religious Bias
The DOJ-led Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias issued 14 findings confirming Biden officials forced Christians to choose between their faith and compliance with federal law. The task force concluded the administration tolerated privately held religious beliefs but zealously pursued actions limiting Christians’ ability to act according to their faith. Pro-life Christians received longer sentences than pro-abortion counterparts for violations of federal laws protecting clinic access.
FBI Tracked Priests Based On Criminal’s Church Attendance
The report revealed new details about a January 2023 FBI memo targeting traditional Catholics as threats based on allegations from the Southern Poverty Law Center. FBI agents investigated a priest and Catholic organization after career criminal Xavier Louis Lopez, arrested for possessing explosive materials, identified as a traditional Catholic. Despite the church playing no role in Lopez’s crimes, agents opened surveillance on Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Society chapel and tracked the priest’s movements, including six jail visits to Lopez and trips to Kentucky where the priest’s uncle held leadership positions.
What This Means For Religious Freedom
The Society of Saint Pius X, the traditionalist Catholic group scrutinized by the FBI, supports the Traditional Latin Mass and rejects reforms from the Second Vatican Council. A judge sentenced Lopez to eight years in prison in February 2025. While the Trump administration task force acknowledged Lopez’s arrest was lawful, it faulted Biden-era FBI officials for using his statement to launch what it called a two-pronged attack against traditional Catholics. The findings raise constitutional concerns about First Amendment protections and government overreach into religious communities based on theological preferences rather than criminal activity.