Liberal media outlet claims the Rosary is extremist symbol
'Fox & Friends Weekend' co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy argues The Atlantic article shows that Christianity is under attack.
Former FBI special agent and federal whistleblower Kyle Seraphin reportedly obtained a leaked FBI document that outlines a plan to spy on a segment of one of America’s biggest religious denominations.
"The FBI’s Richmond Division would like to protect Virginians from the threat of ‘white supremacy,’ which it believes has found a home within Catholics who prefer the Latin Mass," Seraphin reported for Uncover DC. "An intelligence analyst within the Richmond Field Office of the FBI released in a new finished intelligence product dated January 23, 2023, on Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists (RMVE) and their interests in ‘Radical-Traditionalist Catholics’ or RTCs."
He added that the document "assesses with ‘high confidence’ the FBI can mitigate the threat of Radical-Traditionalist Catholics by recruiting sources within the Catholic Church."
Seraphin also suggested that the FBI’s priorities are not just misplaced, but entirely misguided by political bias.
(The Catholic Church has been criticized by politicians for adhering to the ancient principles of its founders. Photo by Seth McConnell/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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"While over 100 instances of attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers occurred in 2022, the SPLC reported an unsubstantiated 200 ‘bombings or arson attacks’ on abortion clinics in the past 20 years," he wrote. "This tremendous statistical mismatch usually would have led federal law enforcement to focus on the highest threat, but the increasingly Leftist bend of FBI enforcement actions appears to have ignored this trend."
The article included purported screenshots of the FBI document citing its sources in attached appendices.
One source was an entry on Radical Traditional Catholics by the far-left advocacy group, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The entry cites these types of Catholics as people "who may make up the largest single group of serious antisemites in America" and embrace "extremely conservative social ideals with respect to women."
Another source cited in the document allegedly produced by the FBI was a widely condemned piece from the Atlantic, titled "How Extremist Gun Culture Is Trying to Co-opt the Rosary," warning that the rosary, a necklace of beads used in prayer, has become politically charged.
Rosary beads are used to help keep one's place in meditative prayer, with alternating recitations of alternating prayers. (iStock)
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The article, which was previously headlined, "How the Rosary Became an Extremist Symbol," slammed Catholic rosary beads for increasingly being associated with right-wing Christians, especially those who are gun owners.
The Atlantic article’s author slammed an entire online ecosystem for disseminating imagery featuring Christian warriors both historical and modern, suggesting that "social-media pages are saturated with images of rosaries draped over firearms, warriors in prayer, Deus Vult (‘God wills it’) crusader memes, and exhortations for men to rise up and become Church Militants."
In a separate comment on his Twitter, Seraphin said, "This document seems to be opening a door so that the Leftist intel types can vent their dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church - but eventually all Christians - fighting abortion."
Conservative commentator Michael Knowles shared an excerpt of the purported document, saying that the more serious cultural danger in the United States has nothing to do with Catholicism.
"Our evil rulers, who celebrate the slaughter of babies and castration of children, now plan to spend our tax dollars persecuting Catholics for attending Holy Mass," he wrote.
The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen outside of its headquarters in Washington, DC on August 15, 2022. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Conservative writer and Catholic Chris Tomlinson wrote, "The FBI is now targeting people who attend the Traditional Latin Mass, claiming we are ‘extremists.’ Freedom of religion in America is a joke. The FBI and the entire regime in charge of America, headed by Biden, are proving every day that they are an evil force in the world."
The FBI provided a statement to Fox News Digital after publication:
"While our standard practice is to not comment on specific intelligence products, this particular field office product - disseminated only within the FBI - regarding racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism does not meet the exacting standards of the FBI. Upon learning of the document, FBI Headquarters quickly began taking action to remove the document from FBI systems and conduct a review of the basis for the document. The FBI is committed to sound analytic tradecraft and to investigating and preventing acts of violence and other crimes while upholding the constitutional rights of all Americans and will never conduct investigative activities or open an investigation based solely on First Amendment protected activity."