A 38-year-old Alabama man who traveled to Southern California with a cache of weapons and ammunition, claiming to be the &#8220;Angel of Death,&#8221; was arrested after threatening a Catholic monastery, according to prosecutors.
Joshua Michael Richardson was charged on Wednesday with felony criminal threats and possession of six high-capacity gun magazines, brass knuckles, and a sword, the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-09-04/heavily-armed-angel-of-death-from-alabama-charged-with-threatening-socal-church">reported</a>. Richardson sent a disturbing email to St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon, California, on August 19, saying that he was &#8220;rider of the pale horse,&#8221; who personifies death in the book of Revelation, and threatening to &#8220;do the Lord&#8217;s reaping&#8221; at the monastery. He also claimed to be Michael the Archangel, the &#8220;Angel of Death,&#8221; from the Bible, according to prosecutors.
Silverado Canyon is a small, unincorporated community in eastern Orange County, nestled within the Santa Ana Mountains about 55 miles southeast of downtown L.A.
Along with the high-capacity magazines and sword, investigators also discovered knives, body armor, and a stun gun in Richardson&#8217;s truck. It does not appear that the Alabama man had a firearm in his possession when he was arrested.
The L.A. Times reported that Richardson allegedly attended a service at St. Michael’s Abbey on August 26 and then followed the priest into a private area. He told the priest that “he came to do the Lord’s work, to separate the weak from the weeds, and that he rode his white pale horse from Alabama,” prosecutors said.
Richardson reportedly added that he wanted to target St. Michael&#8217;s Abbey because it still celebrates Michaelmas, which recognizes St. Michael with a feast on September 29. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department received a report about the threats two days after Richardson attended the service at the monastery, and arrested him. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.
Law enforcement urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
&#8220;While incidents like this can feel unsettling, they also highlight the power of community. If something seems off, say something. Trust your instincts and report suspicious activity, whether it is a strange message, unusual behavior, or something that does not sit right,&#8221; the sheriff&#8217;s department said.
“No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgment and determine who lives and who dies,” added Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “A threat on one house of worship is an attack on every place of worship, and we refuse to allow threats and terror to dissuade any person from practicing their faith without fear.”
Richardson was arrested shortly after a Catholic school in Minneapolis was attacked by a trans-identifying shooter. FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kash-patel-says-minneapolis-school-shooting-was-an-act-of-domestic-terrorism">said</a> that the Minneapolis shooter, identified as 22-year-old Robin Westman, held anti-Catholic and antisemitic views. Westman killed two children and wounded more than a dozen others after opening fire at Annunciation Catholic School during Mass last Wednesday.

Catholic

‘Angel Of Death’: Man Arrested After Threatening Catholic Monastery, Traveling With Cache Of Weapons

California

Catholic Church

Police

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Thursday that the FBI was assisting local law enforcement in reviewing the writings of the transgender-identifying male shooter who opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School during a school Mass held at the church building on Wednesday. 
O’Hara gave the update during an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg5XSySV-a0">interview</a> on NBC’s “Today” show, where he discussed the latest development in the investigation into the attack that left two children dead and 17 others injured. The gunman has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-trans-identifying-gunman-who-slaughtered-catholic-school-children?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=10&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=What+We+Know+About+The+Trans-Identifying+Gunman+Who+Slaughtered+Catholic+School+Children">been identified</a> as “Robin Westman,” a 23-year-old man who identified as a woman and previously went by Robert.
Police say that Westman killed himself after he shot through the windows of the Annunciation Church, where students were attending a morning Mass. O’Hara said that police were still investigating Westman and examining what he had left behind. 
“We recovered literally hundreds of pieces of evidence in total that we have to go through. There is some additional writings, I would say, that the FBI is helping us go through,” O’Hara said. 
“Everything that we have seen so far is really a classic pathway to an active shooter,” he added. “We have seen a whole lot of hate against a whole variety of people and what we have seen so far, but nothing specific to point to as the motive for targeting this church and this particular incident.”
FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday that the FBI was investigating the shooting as domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics.
In previously reported writings, Westman discussed assassinating President Donald Trump, fantasized about killing children, expressed hatred toward Jewish people, and ranted about his transgender identity.
“The focus remains trying to go through everything that we possibly can, following all of the evidence to its logical conclusion to try and determine what potential motive there actually is for this shooting,” O’Hara said, saying police would try to provide answers as quickly as possible. 
He said that police would likely apply for additional electronic warrants to search through the shooter’s devices.
O’Hara also said that they believed the gunman used to be a member of the church and attend the school there. It was previously reported that Westman’s mother worked at the school. 
All of those injured during the attack are expected to survive, though some are still in critical condition, O’Hara said. He also praised the church for having security guidelines that he said helped save lives. 
“Also thankfully, due to the procedures that the school had in place, that the church had in place, after the Mass had begun, the doors to the church were locked. So this coward had to fire from outside of the church, through the church windows and into the church. And we believe him not being able to get into the church likely saved countless lives,” O’Hara also said. 
During the Biden administration, the FBI also aided in the investigation into the March 2023 attack on The Covenant School in Nashville by a transgender-identifying female. During that investigation, the FBI suppressed writings that the attacker left behind, arguing that they would lead to conspiracy theories.

Shooting At Annunciation School Church In Minneapolis Leaves Multiple Children Dead And Many Injured

‘A Whole Lot Of Hate’: FBI Examining Writings Of Trans-Identifying Gunman In Catholic School Attack

kash patel

Mass Shooting

Minneapolis

Transgender

The following article includes graphic language and images posted by the man identified by authorities as the suspect in a Minneapolis, Minnesota attack on a Catholic school. 
&#8212;
The man who shot and killed two Catholic children and injured 17 other people at a Minneapolis Catholic school has been identified by authorities as “Robin Westman,” a transgender-identifying 23-year-old who posted radical videos in the hour before his attack.
This individual identified as a woman and changed his name from Robert Westman to Robin Westman in 2020, <a href="https://x.com/peterjhasson/status/1960758053625627109">as The Washington Free Beacon’s Peter Hassan reported</a>. Court filings show that Westman’s mother signed off on the name change, since her son was a minor, and the documents state that Westman “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
On Wednesday morning, around 8:30 am, Westman fired through the windows of the Annunciation Catholic School’s church in Minneapolis as students attended daily mass on their first day of school. He killed two children, ages 8 and 10, injuring 17 others before he shot himself in the parking lot, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
<div id="attachment_966001" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-trans-identifying-gunman-who-slaughtered-catholic-school-children/shooting-at-annunciation-church-in-minneapolis-leaves-multiple-children-dead-and-many-injured" rel="attachment wp-att-966001"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-966001" class="wp-image-966001 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2232395199-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2232395199-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2232395199-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2232395199-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-2232395199.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA &#8211; AUGUST 27: Police work the scene following a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School on August 27, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)</div>
Video footage obtained by The Daily Wire shows that YouTube user “Robin W” posted a disturbing video on Wednesday morning with the caption, “so long and thanks for all the fish.” That video shows an individual thumbing through a notebook filled with Russian and English journal entries, as well as pictures of guns, diagrams of his attacks, and a transgender “defend equality” flag sticker.
Throughout the video, he mutters, whispers, and giggles in a disturbing fashion.
As the video concludes, Westman appears to thumb through the pages of his notebook as he whispers, “I can’t deal with this anymore &#8230; I can’t do this anymore &#8230; I have to go, I have to go&#8230;”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Here&#8217;s part of the chilling video that &#8220;Robin W&#8221; posted this morning, before it was removed by YouTube, obtained by <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a>. Warning, this is disturbing.
In it, he thumbs through the pages of his notebook as he whispers, &#8220;I can&#8217;t deal with this anymore&#8230;I can&#8217;t do this… <a href="https://t.co/ax3g5jPzjR">pic.twitter.com/ax3g5jPzjR</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1960763491402297416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
He pans with the camera to a page in his notebook where it’s written in big English scrawl, “Sick fuck, sick fuck, murderer hahahahaha villain,” as he whispers aloud, “Oh my God,” and gives a middle finger to the page, before grabbing what appears to be a pistol off his desk and pressing it into the page of the book.
He then whimpers and mutters twice in a whisper, “My family. My family,” as he pans to a page that concludes, “The End,” and says, “I’m so sorry.”
He shows his room, whispering, “I’m all packed up &#8230; I don’t know what else to say. It’s over. It’s over. It’s all over.” He then mutters something about whether he will make it “to tomorrow,” before whispering, “Pray for me, I love you all.”
This was just one of many disturbing moments in the videos posted to the account, which YouTube removed on Wednesday afternoon with the help of the FBI, O’Hara confirmed. YouTube has not responded to requests for comment from The Daily Wire.
The New York Post&#8217;s Diana Glebova <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/27/us-news/robin-westman-mused-about-slaughtering-filthy-zionist-jews-in-sick-journal-before-deadly-catholic-school-shooting/">translated the journal</a> and found that Westman repeatedly discussed his hatred for Jews as well.
“If I will carry out a racially motivated attack, it would be most likely against filthy Zionist jews,” he wrote in one entry, according to the New York Post, adding in another entry: “I hate those entitled, penny-sniffing k-kes,&#8221; and in another, &#8220;6 million wasn&#8217;t enough,&#8221; referring to the number of Jewish Holocaust victims. He also wrote a message about destroying &#8220;HIAS,&#8221; a Jewish refugee aid group, and one of his guns read, “Israel must fall, release the files.&#8221;
Westman also wrote about assassinating President Donald Trump as well as the Jews. But the deceased shooter reflected that killing “children of innocent civilians” would give him “the most joy.&#8221;
“For good would be a target or political or societal significance. Targets like Musk, Trump or some significant exec,” he wrote, adding in another entry:  “I can’t really put my finger on a specific purpose. It definitely won’t be for racism or white supremacy.&#8221;
“While I don’t really like being around people of color, I don’t give enough of a shit about them to take my life for them,&#8221; he wrote, according to the New York Post.
Westman also wrote that he had been suicidal for a number of years. He wrote of his shooting plans:  “I don’t want to [do] it to spread a message. I do it to please myself. I do it because I am sick&#8230;I don’t think I could just take myself out. I would need to do something with my final act.&#8221;
Other videos on the YouTube page examined by The Daily Wire show that “Robin W” had an obsession with shooters, including the Sandy Hook shooter who killed 20 children and six school staffers before killing himself. He also drew a sketch of the Annunciation Church.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/minnesota-catholic-school-leader-warned-tim-walz-of-urgent-and-critical-need-to-secure-schools?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Minnesota+Catholic+School+Leader+Warned+Tim+Walz+Of+%E2%80%98Critical%E2%80%99+School+Safety+Threats.+He+Did+Nothing.">Minnesota Catholic School Leader Warned Tim Walz Of ‘Critical’ School Safety Threats. He Did Nothing.</a>
On Wednesday afternoon, FBI Director Kash Patel shared that the FBI is “investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”
“There were 2 fatalities, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old,” he said. “In addition, 14 children and 3 adults were injured. The shooter has been identified as Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman. The FBI will continue to provide updates on our ongoing investigation with the public as we are able.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A YouTube account under that name posted 2 disturbing videos this am that included threats against Trump, a magazine titled &#8220;I&#8217;m the woker baby, why so queerious?&#8221; a sketch of a church, and a picture of Christ on a paper target <a href="https://t.co/kX9FblyaZ2">https://t.co/kX9FblyaZ2</a> <a href="https://t.co/AQTpp75DpS">pic.twitter.com/AQTpp75DpS</a>
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) <a href="https://twitter.com/peterjhasson/status/1960743920746242064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
Westman was carrying a rifle, shotgun, and pistol, and killed himself after firing “dozens of rounds” at innocent children, according to O’Hara. Police believe the shooter fired all three weapons, and said that he barricaded the students and staff in the church by placing a wooden plank against some of the side doors, in an attempt to prevent them from fleeing.
One adult and six children are in critical condition, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08/27/us/minneapolis-church-shooting/4bb55715-d5ea-591a-8eb6-cbd06d35e4b2?smid=url-share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Hennepin County Medical Center, although Chief O’Hara <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08/27/us/minneapolis-church-shooting/a5118dd0-6000-5848-9f75-60df224820ee?smid=url-share">said</a> the children wounded in the shooting were all expected to survive.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Minnesota shooter, Robin Westman: <a href="https://t.co/El1T8T86WE">pic.twitter.com/El1T8T86WE</a>
— Karol Markowicz (@karol) <a href="https://twitter.com/karol/status/1960742525821391306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
Westman is the second trans-identifying killer to target school children in recent years. A trans-identifying shooter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covenant-shooters-entire-diary-published-revealing-obsession-with-white-privilege-transgenderism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">killed three children and three adults</a> at Covenant Christian School in Nashville in March 2023.
President Joe Biden’s FBI would claim that it withheld the shooter’s 100-page journal in the name of public safety, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-told-nashville-police-release-of-school-shooter-writings-would-lead-to-conspiracy-theories-inaccurate-info" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggesting that the manifesto would lead</a> to “conspiracy theories” and “inaccurate information.” The Tennessee Star published the shooter’s entire journal, and the writings <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/covenant-shooters-entire-diary-published-revealing-obsession-with-white-privilege-transgenderism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that the shooter was obsessed with ideas of transgenderism and white privilege, and frequently wrote about her autism and depression.

Screenshot 2025-08-27 at 3.15.44 PM

What We Know About The Trans-Identifying Gunman Who Slaughtered Catholic School Children

Minnesota

President Donald Trump&#8217;s new ambassador to the Holy See was confirmed over the weekend.
Brian Burch, former president of CatholicVote, one of the country&#8217;s largest Catholic advocacy groups, was confirmed by the Senate as the United States ambassador to the Vatican on Saturday.
The Senate voted 49-44 along party lines.
&#8220;The Catholic Church is the largest and most important religious institution in the world, and its relationship to the United States is of vital importance,&#8221; Burch said in a statement on Saturday.
&#8220;I am committed to working with leaders inside the Vatican and the Trump administration to promote the dignity of all people and the common good,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Brian is a devout Catholic, a father of nine, and President of CatholicVote,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-appoints-catholicvote-president-holy-see-ambassador">said</a> in December when he nominated Burch.
&#8220;He represented me well during the last Election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History! Brian loves his Church and the United States — He will make us all proud. Congratulations to Brian, his wife Sara, and their incredible family!&#8221; Trump said.
During election season, Burch led the conservative lobbying group, CatholicVote, whose political action committee <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/catholicvote-org/C00494021/summary/2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spent</a> more than a million dollars over the 2024 election cycle and <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/catholicvote-organization-endorses-trump-presidential-primary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Trump in January during the primaries.
&#8220;I know many Catholics are divided over whether Trump is the best candidate to defeat Biden. But that&#8217;s also what primaries are for,&#8221; Burch <a href="https://catholicvote.org/catholicvote-endorses-donald-trump-for-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> at the time.
Trump thanked CatholicVote for endorsing him later that day during a speech in New Hampshire, where he also spoke about the FBI&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/catholic-leaders-slam-fbi-over-illegitimate-targeting-of-catholics-as-bureau-defends-its-investigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">targeting</a> of Catholics.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what it is with Catholics but the FBI is going after Catholics,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://catholicvote.org/catholicvote-endorses-donald-trump-for-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Why would any Catholic vote for a Democrat?&#8221;
Burch fleshed out his vision for his diplomatic role in a statement in April to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He said the relationship between the United States and the Vatican &#8220;transcends traditional diplomacy, rooted instead in our shared commitments to religious freedom, human dignity, global peace, and justice.&#8221;
&#8220;My primary goal will be to deepen this partnership. The moral witness of the Holy See together with its global influence make it a key partner for an array of U.S. interests. I am confident we can contribute to a more just and peaceful world, reflecting the best of American values and the Holy See&#8217;s mission,&#8221; Burch said at the time.
The embassy to the Holy See was first established in 1984 between President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II.

Conclave Elects Pope Leo XIV

Senate Confirms Leading Catholic Activist As Vatican Ambassador

Trump's Holy See Ambassador Brian Burch Confirmed

Catholicism

Pope Leo

The Vatican

Trump Administration

Vatican

A Catholic priest and well-known exorcist who was accused of misconduct has been cleared of all charges.
Fr. Carlos Martins, an expert in Catholic relics, was leading an event with some 200 people at Queen of Apostles Parish in Joliet, Illinois, in November 2024. The priest, who hosts “The Exorcist Files” podcast, was on a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/265661/father-carlos-martins-cleared-of-misdemeanor-charges-after-incident-at-illinois-parish" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/265661/father-carlos-martins-cleared-of-misdemeanor-charges-after-incident-at-illinois-parish&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1754148224398000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1R4tlgIdpm4ZRfY9kOJ_3x">16-month tour</a> where he lectured on relics. At the Joliet event, he reportedly joked with a group of attendees, commenting on his baldness, and allegedly briefly touching a girl’s hair.
This week, prosecutors “withdrew those charges and dismissed the case” without finding that Martins had done anything wrong or criminal, lawyers for the priest said.
Police reports, obtained by The Daily Wire through Freedom of Information Act requests, the girl—a minor— claimed Martins placed her hair in his mouth and flossed with it, and then sat behind her group, “growling” at them.
Martins and his legal team denied the allegations, and no security footage or independent evidence was presented to support the allegations prior to the police being notified by the parish. The negative media attention led Martins to cancel the remainder of his tour.
On July 30, 2025, Will County Circuit Court dropped the charges and acknowledged that Martins did nothing wrong.
Speaking with Daily Wire, Fr. Martins said he was grateful to be exonerated.
“A Christian doesn’t merely respect the truth —he recognizes it as a person. I trusted that, in God’s time, the facts would be revealed.”
The Joliet Police Department began investigating post-allegations in November, but only filed one count of misdemeanor battery charges on January 23, 2025. Martins <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/02/04/exorcist-carlos-martins-pleads-not-guilty-battery-249837" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/02/04/exorcist-carlos-martins-pleads-not-guilty-battery-249837&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1754148224398000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1WdRQbNkf7ipo-haU1jjag">pleaded</a> not guilty on January 27, 2025, with a pretrial set for February 24, 2025.
During the investigation, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office <a href="https://jolietpolicing.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/download/OAG%20Investigation%20of%20the%20Joliet%20Police%20Department%20(Dec.%2012,%202024).pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://jolietpolicing.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/download/OAG%2520Investigation%2520of%2520the%2520Joliet%2520Police%2520Department%2520(Dec.%252012,%25202024).pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1754148224398000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3PMi9NLv0yZWT6PmeblGGr">released</a> a December 12, 2024, report on the Joliet Police Department, finding patterns of unreasonable force, discrimination, and failure to hold officers accountable for misconduct. Examples included officers’ false statements and unaddressed <a href="https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/2024/12/14/illinois-ag-report-joliet-police-department-fails-to-hold-bad-officers-accountable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/2024/12/14/illinois-ag-report-joliet-police-department-fails-to-hold-bad-officers-accountable/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1754148224398000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0zhhEbKbeYUSknLIooa27M">violations</a>.
In legal records obtained by The Daily Wire, questions arose as to the methods of police interrogation. No notes or body cam footage, no recordings of any kind, or statements by witnesses were included in Freedom of Information Act documents issued by the Joliet Police Department; only a summary of allegations made by the original investigating officer.
The Daily Wire reached out to Sergeant Dwayne English of the Joliet Police Department for comment, but did not hear back before publication.

Catholic priest on altar praying during mass

Popular Catholic Priest Cleared Of All Charges In Assault Case

Assault

Illinois

Priest

The House Judiciary Committee this week revealed that under the Biden administration, the FBI spied on a Catholic priest who refused to disclose private conversations with a parishioner who was arrested.
FBI employees at the Richmond field office discussed the priest’s ordination, recruitment efforts, location, and credit card information through email. They also communicated with their London office to monitor him during a trip to the United Kingdom, according to the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/pdfs/judiciarycommitteereport.pdf">report</a>.
They launched a “formal investigative assessment” against the priest after he refused to answer whether a parishioner had expressed “desires and plans to commit violence.” The employee wrote in an email to the counterterrorism unit at FBI headquarters that the priest “became very uncomfortable and started incoherently stuttering.”
He said the priest “requested to speak with the church’s leadership and attorneys” and “refused to speak with us any further but has continued to speak with [the parishioner] while in prison, and even attempted to visit him.”
He also incorrectly stated in his email that the priest’s communications were “not considered privileged” since the parishioner “has not completed his catechism or been baptized in the Church.”
Virginia law <a href="https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title19.2/chapter16/section19.2-271.3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protects</a> confidential communications between ministers of religion and any “persons they counsel or advise.”
“The priest-penitent privilege rightly protects communications between a clergy member and an individual seeking spiritual guidance,” the House Judiciary Committee report notes. “It is not dependent on the individual achieving certain milestones in his or her spiritual life.”
The report determined that the Richmond office’s investigation was unlawful: “There appeared to be no legitimate law-enforcement purpose for investigating this priest.”
The report, which was compiled by the Committee and Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, was issued in response to a 2023 leaked <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fbi-anti-catholic-memo.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a> from the Richmond FBI field office that revealed the agency attempting to link “Radical-Traditionalist Catholic ideology” to violent racism and the “far-right white nationalist movement.”
It found that the Richmond office was gathering intelligence on “Radical-Traditionalist Catholics &#8220;(RTC), a group which, the committee notes, FBI staff couldn’t even define.
A presentation titled “Traditionalist Catholicism Overview” outlined their “core ideology and beliefs.”
“Core concepts” included the Traditional Latin Mass, “conservative family values/roles,” a “rejection of modernity,” and a “tendency toward isolationism.”
It alleged that radical Catholics’ main tenets include the “belief that mainline Catholicism is illegitimate” and were accused of holding “hardline positions on abortion, LGBTQ matters, and interreligious dialogue.”
It also claimed that RTC contains “apocalyptic overtones,” “rigid fundamentalism [and] integralism,” and an “undertone of antisemitism.”
In its information gathering, the FBI used “politically biased and anti-Catholic source material,” the report notes. Many of the articles they cited openly accuse Catholics of being white supremacists. One article titled “The Catholic Church has a Visible White Power Faction” from Sojourner, a progressive Christian publication, was <a href="https://sojo.net/magazine/august-2020/catholic-church-has-visible-white-power-faction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken down</a> at one point because of misleading statements that editors claimed “called into question the entire substance of the article.”
The FBI also relied heavily on the Southern Poverty Law Center, a “far-left, anti-religion group that focuses on labeling conservative leaning groups as &#8216;hate&#8217; groups.” The SPLC considers groups like Focus on the Family, a global evangelical ministry widely popular in Christian circles, to be hate groups for opposing LGBTQ and abortion.
“The FBI analysts who developed the Richmond memorandum relied on literature with an inherent prejudice against people of faith and those with widely-held, deeply personal views of the sanctity of life,” the Committee notes.
Though former FBI director Christopher Wray minimized the significance of the 2023 memo, saying that it was a single product of a single office, the committee found that the Richmond office was working with FBI headquarters and that its “religious liberty abuses were more widespread than the FBI initially admitted and led the public to believe.”
Employees worked with FBI headquarters to develop a “Strategic Perspective Executive Analytic Report” for external use. They pitched the project to headquarters in December 2022, a month after the memo was created. It was later abandoned after the memo was leaked to the public.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said in a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/265497/judiciary-committee-fbi-spied-on-catholic-priest-for-not-divulging-info-on-parishioner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> to the Catholic News Agency that lawmakers “knew the Biden-Wray FBI was targeting Catholics, but new documents obtained by the committee — thanks to the leadership of FBI Director [Kash] Patel — shows that it was worse than anyone thought.”
“Contrary to Director Wray’s statements, the targeting of Catholics went beyond the Richmond Field Office and extended not to just offices across the country but around the world.”

Rosary Beads in Hands of Catholic Woman

Biden FBI Spied On Catholic Priest Who Refused To Disclose Private Conversations With Parishioner

Biden Administration

Christopher Wray

Virginia

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned the deaths of three people killed when a missile launched by an Israel Defense Forces tank inadvertently struck a Catholic church in Gaza.
On Thursday morning, a stray missile struck the Holy Family Church; nine people were also injured, one of whom is in critical condition.
&#8220;Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza&#8217;s Holy Family Church,&#8221; Netanyahu said, as Israel National News <a href="https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/411846">reported</a>. &#8220;Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful. We are grateful to Pope Leo for his words of comfort. Israel is investigating the incident and remains committed to protecting Holy Family Church on Thursday morning. One of the injured is in critical condition. civilians and holy sites.&#8221;
“Israel expresses deep sorrow over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualty,” Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein <a href="https://x.com/OrenMarmorstein/status/1945790701280649412?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">stated</a> on X. “The IDF is examining this incident, the circumstances of which are still unclear, and the results of the investigation will be published transparently. Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians.”
The IDF issued a statement saying, &#8220;The IDF is aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review. The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them.&#8221;
A telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on behalf of Pope Leo <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/pope-demands-ceasefire-after-gazas-catholic-church-hit-apparent-israeli-strike">read</a>, &#8220;His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, and he assures the parish priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness.” Pope Leo also apparently called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
The terrorist group still holds roughly 50 hostages from its October 7, 2023, massacre of over 1,200 Israelis. Although only 20 are believed to be alive, Hamas has not released them or the bodies of the dead hostages.

Visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Meets With Congressional Lawmakers On Capitol Hill

‘Every Innocent Life Lost Is A Tragedy’: Netanyahu’s Statement After IDF Mistakenly Hits Catholic Church

Benjamin Netanyahu

Gaza

Global Politics

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

World

WASHINGTON—Asked about a Catholic bishop in California who told illegal immigrants they no longer have to go to Sunday mass, White House Border Czar Tom Homan did not mince words.
&#8220;This is BS,&#8221; he told The Daily Wire in response to news that San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas issued a decree on July 8 dispensing those in his diocese from attending Mass &#8220;due to potential immigration enforcement actions by civil authorities&#8221; if they have &#8220;genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions.&#8221; His dispensation is in effect until &#8220;such time as this decree is revoked or amended.&#8221;
The bishop was referring to President Donald Trump&#8217;s immigration actions, which include ICE raids throughout the country. Rojas stated that he is &#8220;guided by the Church&#8217;s mission to care for the spiritual welfare of all entrusted to my care, particularly those who face fear or hardship.&#8221;
Homan dismissed the announcement, saying, &#8220;I do not know of a single incident of a church arrest.&#8221;
The bishop&#8217;s decree may stem in part from the Trump administration&#8217;s reversal of a Biden-era policy blocking immigration officials from making arrests at schools, houses of worship, or other &#8220;sensitive locations.&#8221; The Department of Homeland Security said in January that it would not &#8220;tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.&#8221;
&#8220;We would only go in if there was a violent criminal who was actively hiding out there or something,&#8221; Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire, suggesting that an arrest at a church only might occur if an MS-13 gang member was inside.
The Diocese of San Bernardino did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.

White House Border Czar Tom Homan Speaks To Media At White House

Tom Homan Has Some Choice Words For The California Bishop Who Said Illegals Can Skip Mass

Illegal Immigation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Tom Homan

On Wednesday, I had a pretty incredible experience. I went to the Vatican for an event at St. Peter&#8217;s Square that’s held every Wednesday when the Pope holds a general audience.
It’s an amazing event. There are tens of thousands of people — divided by country of origin — who gather in St. Peter&#8217;s Square from all over the world. It&#8217;s a reminder that godly, Biblical values are the guiding force for billions of people around the world. The world seems like a very dark place from time to time, but the reality is that if you stick to eternal values, it does make the world a brighter place.
The Pope came in his vehicle, drove around, greeted the entire audience, and then he came up in the center of St. Peter&#8217;s Square, right in front of the basilica, and gave an address about the Bible which was read out loud in a variety of different languages.
I got to sit up there near where the Pope was. What the Pope said was quite beautiful. He quoted from the Book of John, the story about the Pool of Bethesda, in which Jesus goes to the Pool of Bethesda, where there are people who are ill and people who are paralyzed. There&#8217;s a man there who&#8217;s been sick and infirm for 38 years. And Jesus goes to that man and he tells him that he ought to get up, take his mat with him, and walk.
And the Pope said we should all reflect on Jesus&#8217; statement. At that moment when we feel stuck and trapped in a dead end, instead of allowing that to become an excuse for others to take care of us, we should not allow this to become a justification to avoid making decisions about our lives. Instead, we should get away from fatalism and embrace personal responsibility.
It is these kinds of messages that are implicit in the Biblical narrative that the Pope is spreading, and that is a wonderful thing for our civilization.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2220-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
I&#8217;ve talked about this before — I&#8217;m an Orthodox Jew. Obviously. I don&#8217;t have a dog in the fight when it comes to internal battles over doctrine in Catholicism, except to the extent that the Catholic Church remains a lodestone for Western civilization, a great spreader of Biblical values to humanity.
In the same way, there are Protestant churches that do the same. People of God, people of the book, people of the Bible are spreading eternal values. It is worth acknowledging that and honoring that.
That&#8217;s actually what I said to the Pope when I had an opportunity to meet him. I handed him a letter asking for an interview and introduced myself. You&#8217;re supposed to bring the Pope a gift.
I explained who I was. (Obviously, he has a lot of things to do, so I doubt he&#8217;s a regular listener to my show.) At this point, I explained to him that I was there to pay honor to the fact that he was representative of biblical values in the world. Then I added, “I happen to have been a devout White Sox fan since the time I was a child.”
Of course, Pope Leo is a White Sox fan. He recently spoke at Comiskey Park via video to some 30,000 people.
I told him that while he is Catholic and I am Jewish, one of the miracles that we can agree on is the 2005 White Sox winning the World Series. I brought with me from my personal collection a 2005 World Series White Sox baseball signed by the entire team, and gave it to him.
He seemed a little bit surprised, not by the fact that I was giving a gift, but because it was a gift and not just me showing him something cool, I suppose. You could see him crack a bit of a smile as he received it. He was pretty delighted by it.
So it was really a terrific experience. Honestly, the entire event was amazing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It was an honor to meet His Holiness, <a href="https://twitter.com/Pontifex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pontifex</a> in Vatican City today, and to thank him for standing up for Biblical values in a chaotic world…and to present him with a signed 2005 White Sox World Series baseball I had in my collection (we’re both fans). <a href="https://t.co/hxlhUnKU7F">pic.twitter.com/hxlhUnKU7F</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1935350580458733762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
My impression of him is that Pope Leo seems to be a man who has enmeshed himself in the office. And when you meet the Pope, you can see he’s a deeply humble man. You can tell that right away just from meeting him. And you could see the sheer joy that he had, I think, from getting the baseball, which is such a small thing for this man who has the weight of the spiritual fate of over a billion people on his shoulders.
I share that because there are a lot of moments in the political world that are not uplifting. There are a lot of moments that are fraught, that feel as though darkness is encroaching.
And so, there needs to be a meeting of the minds between all of us who believe in Biblical values, and that those Biblical values ought to be purveyed. It&#8217;s one of the reasons why I have encouraged people who are Catholic to go to church, people who are Protestant to go to church, and Jews to go to synagogue and relearn their traditions and engage with those traditions.
I&#8217;m very much in favor of the strengthening of the Catholic Church and the strengthening of Protestant churches all over the United States and the rest of the West.
I&#8217;m very much in favor of people reengaging with the values that made the West what it was in the first place.

Pope Leo XIV Arrives To Lead His Weekly General Audience At St Peter’s Square In The Vatican On June 18, 2025.

I Met The Pope. It Was Amazing.

Ben Shapiro

Bible

Catholics

Italy

Major League Baseball

Opinion

VATICAN CITY — Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro met with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Square, thanking him for his &#8220;strength in standing for Biblical values in a world of darkness.&#8221;
Shapiro was granted a rare opportunity to meet with the pope during the baciamano — a gesture of reverence traditionally reserved for heads of state and diplomats. Shapiro recounted a brief but warm exchange with the pontiff during their meeting.
“I said, ‘Your Holiness, I wanted to express my appreciation for your strength in standing for Biblical values in a world of darkness,’” Shapiro said.
Then, offering a moment of levity, he added: “Also, I’m a lifelong White Sox fan. So while you’re Catholic and I’m Jewish, I think a miracle we can both agree on is the 2005 White Sox winning the World Series.” Shapiro then offered the pope a personal gift, “He smiled at my remark, and then I handed him a White Sox 2005 team signed baseball. He asked if it was a gift, and seemed surprised and delighted that it was — you can see it on the tape.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="I Met The Pope...PLUS SCOTUS Hands Matt Walsh A Win!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bN2KsIyajnc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Shapiro concluded, “I believe this is a man who truly lives in joy.”
Catholics customarily kiss the ring as part of this tradition, honoring the pope as the successor of Saint Peter. Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew, did not take part in that particular ritual, but approached the pope with visible courtesy and deference, recognizing the significance of the moment.
“The pope is, unsurprisingly, deeply humble,” Shapiro told The Daily Wire. “You can gather that from him in an instant.”
Shapiro described the event as “beautiful — a reminder that Biblical values span the globe, across languages and borders.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It was an honor to meet His Holiness, <a href="https://twitter.com/Pontifex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pontifex</a> in Vatican City today, and to thank him for standing up for Biblical values in a chaotic world…and to present him with a signed 2005 White Sox World Series baseball I had in my collection (we’re both fans). <a href="https://t.co/hxlhUnKU7F">pic.twitter.com/hxlhUnKU7F</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1935350580458733762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The general audience opened with a reading from the Gospel of John: “Jesus, seeing him lying there and knowing that he had been in that condition for a long time, said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’” (John 5:6)
Pope Leo XIV continued his catechesis series on the Jubilee theme “Jesus Christ, Our Hope,” reflecting on the healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda. He emphasized Christ’s offer of interior healing and urged those present to bring their suffering to God “with faith, without fear.”
As is customary, the pope greeted delegations in multiple languages and concluded the audience with the recitation of the Pater Noster and his apostolic blessing. He also issued a public appeal for peace, citing ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, and Iran.
Today’s audience is one of the last for the general public in Rome, as announced by the Vatican earlier this week. Pope Leo XIV has restored the tradition for the pope to reside during the hottest summer months in the mountain town of Castel Gandolfo. It will be from there that the pope will continue his public and private audiences until August 17.
It seems Providence was, indeed, at work for Shapiro—and all who gathered to see the Roman Pontiff, today.

mixcollage-18-jun-2025-11-29-am-4875_720

Here’s What Ben Shapiro Said To The Pope At The Vatican

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered New York courts to reconsider a case in which the state forced Catholic and Anglican nuns, Catholic dioceses, Christian churches, and faith-based social ministries to pay for their employees’ abortions.
The case, <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.wmJVV7EIOKgMqWuqPA8IcVsJ07WAeiFBuLy0jUj8eItjneP6UJdM3CTs1HhxsCCtXmPZGdQBQzUXpy1zS9eJUOS2aNloDvyCIdEPPe2YSZHZBxZdNB6RpqlI0tPWI7l9E14K_03HZEuPE3hkcx2fMUSyQ63zYk0dEzg0x5dq45YpE12w9VZ7X5-2BCSHojkEG5GhTxSEBpdsKU-2F3K1QrAcJyEWsgtRkDwcU40iQUik8SMvQV9G6UPoh3vgWW7vvd0gOy-2FqxpSJHBxrZwab8G8xn29PqA-2BRkHWRYm0fl-2B7snVYimzkEiMKB4sW1Trm-2F6-2FCGTM9yEq5YJO1mWE-2BZQFjF31cliQRinS-2FR9BqxGM82oWsQetEtjmPgy-2F-2F2oRoccUtDEFpnGk9BfiigDntWCWu3vXAB1idFL-2FJZ8MjmPaf9dwa91k8POb-2B4coDhdksWsV6o9bZxbl-2Bihku4WXhfXwHiiK-2B7ySxyikWI-2F5nAFDdnLSIy5HioU67w23epBt4MbKqcZQ0uA" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn%3Du001.wmJVV7EIOKgMqWuqPA8IcVsJ07WAeiFBuLy0jUj8eItjneP6UJdM3CTs1HhxsCCtXmPZGdQBQzUXpy1zS9eJUOS2aNloDvyCIdEPPe2YSZHZBxZdNB6RpqlI0tPWI7l9E14K_03HZEuPE3hkcx2fMUSyQ63zYk0dEzg0x5dq45YpE12w9VZ7X5-2BCSHojkEG5GhTxSEBpdsKU-2F3K1QrAcJyEWsgtRkDwcU40iQUik8SMvQV9G6UPoh3vgWW7vvd0gOy-2FqxpSJHBxrZwab8G8xn29PqA-2BRkHWRYm0fl-2B7snVYimzkEiMKB4sW1Trm-2F6-2FCGTM9yEq5YJO1mWE-2BZQFjF31cliQRinS-2FR9BqxGM82oWsQetEtjmPgy-2F-2F2oRoccUtDEFpnGk9BfiigDntWCWu3vXAB1idFL-2FJZ8MjmPaf9dwa91k8POb-2B4coDhdksWsV6o9bZxbl-2Bihku4WXhfXwHiiK-2B7ySxyikWI-2F5nAFDdnLSIy5HioU67w23epBt4MbKqcZQ0uA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1750171062531000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0Wl1ajChm1jjIAEOq-vAp7">Diocese of Albany v. Harris</a>, involved the nuns and their fellow plaintiffs suing over the New York requirement in 2017. “When the New York State Department of Financial Services initially proposed the abortion mandate for health care plans, it promised to exempt all employers with religious objections. But after facing pressure from abortion activists, New York narrowed the exemption to cover only religious groups that primarily teach religion and primarily serve and hire those who share their faith,” the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm, <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2025/06/16/supreme-court-rules-for-catholic-nuns-fighting-abortion-mandate/">noted</a>.
But New York courts upheld the mandate, at which point the firms Becket and Jones Day appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. In 2021, the Supreme Court reversed the state courts’ decision and told them to reconsider it after Becket won the case, <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.wmJVV7EIOKgMqWuqPA8IcVsJ07WAeiFBuLy0jUj8eIsBV6B2fmopmEPfhx7n-2Fvn2E-2BCGL9ikjm4gijh-2BScV9C9TNs3D9GUfEAcl9sUY8rHHBPV7rj5zDHZ3ylgxdVfhIFTS0_03HZEuPE3hkcx2fMUSyQ63zYk0dEzg0x5dq45YpE12w9VZ7X5-2BCSHojkEG5GhTxSEBpdsKU-2F3K1QrAcJyEWsgtRkDwcU40iQUik8SMvQV9G6UPoh3vgWW7vvd0gOy-2FqxpSJHBxrZwab8G8xn29PqA-2BRkHWRYm0fl-2B7snVYimzkEiMKB4sW1Trm-2F6-2FCGTM9yEq5YJO1mWE-2BZQFjF31cliQbFd2GXlpGjkQvBYXCTVufaGRtfi4w6Xzkxqo0lx35xqsydd2FsI7-2FAEawAP2aukNR3VjzaO9cdOxyEzK9jbjTnxMm7JOqr15rToNcDMlATzXd5h9qg9ubyJOb2GbsFuAu6WUox19sqTKIEii7ivDbNTZ-2Fp9qUI7Hgd45QGcEDY4">Fulton v. City of Philadelphia</a>, but the state courts stated that Fulton was inapplicable to the Diocese case.
Then, last week, Becket won a unanimous victory in <a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.wmJVV7EIOKgMqWuqPA8IcVsJ07WAeiFBuLy0jUj8eIujB-2FCd-2BrsvGEWKhj-2Fijzx76evWChPJeqTsjiWS7svnAA-3D-3D2brI_03HZEuPE3hkcx2fMUSyQ63zYk0dEzg0x5dq45YpE12w9VZ7X5-2BCSHojkEG5GhTxSEBpdsKU-2F3K1QrAcJyEWsgtRkDwcU40iQUik8SMvQV9G6UPoh3vgWW7vvd0gOy-2FqxpSJHBxrZwab8G8xn29PqA-2BRkHWRYm0fl-2B7snVYimzkEiMKB4sW1Trm-2F6-2FCGTM9yEq5YJO1mWE-2BZQFjF31cliQfWAymowTHMHK0UlhXb5IhhEOJKrWB-2FPy4iDNo47XON-2FfZLqZZhKu-2FsZBTrJgz47Km8gvmSV-2BdS9K9x2KBd1d4kHb-2BJpuYZxOouMpN1r4syhT4-2BrYIHh6wjjv-2BmXRx6PWscMzRBSqUAUA2ipqkzqbKHuqdofGuaWGyyuRR-2F1czNe" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn%3Du001.wmJVV7EIOKgMqWuqPA8IcVsJ07WAeiFBuLy0jUj8eIujB-2FCd-2BrsvGEWKhj-2Fijzx76evWChPJeqTsjiWS7svnAA-3D-3D2brI_03HZEuPE3hkcx2fMUSyQ63zYk0dEzg0x5dq45YpE12w9VZ7X5-2BCSHojkEG5GhTxSEBpdsKU-2F3K1QrAcJyEWsgtRkDwcU40iQUik8SMvQV9G6UPoh3vgWW7vvd0gOy-2FqxpSJHBxrZwab8G8xn29PqA-2BRkHWRYm0fl-2B7snVYimzkEiMKB4sW1Trm-2F6-2FCGTM9yEq5YJO1mWE-2BZQFjF31cliQfWAymowTHMHK0UlhXb5IhhEOJKrWB-2FPy4iDNo47XON-2FfZLqZZhKu-2FsZBTrJgz47Km8gvmSV-2BdS9K9x2KBd1d4kHb-2BJpuYZxOouMpN1r4syhT4-2BrYIHh6wjjv-2BmXRx6PWscMzRBSqUAUA2ipqkzqbKHuqdofGuaWGyyuRR-2F1czNe&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1750171062531000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3ix941axI3_-7_2zV2eYsR">Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor &amp; Industry Review Commission</a>. That case involved the court ruling in favor of a Catholic charity that sued the state of Wisconsin after it was forced to pay certain unemployment taxes while other religious organizations were exempted. That ruling led to the court’s decision to remand the Diocese decision back to the New York Court of Appeals.
“The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted,” the Supreme Court <a href="https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20250616093307/Supreme-Court-Order-List-6-16-2025-Diocese-of-Albany.pdf">wrote</a>. “The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the Court of Appeals for New York for further consideration in light of Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor &amp; Industry Review Comm’n.”
“New York wants to browbeat nuns into paying for abortions for the great crime of serving all those in need,” Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, stated. “For the second time in four years, the Supreme Court has made clear that bully tactics like these have no place in our nation or our law. We are confident that these religious groups will finally be able to care for the most vulnerable consistent with their beliefs.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-sides-with-christian-charity-targeted-by-wisconsin">Supreme Court Sides With Christian Charity Targeted By Wisconsin</a>

Nun folding hands holding a rosary praying

SCOTUS Gives Victory To Nuns Fighting New York Abortion Mandate

Abortion

New York

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of a Catholic charity that sued Wisconsin after it was mandated to pay certain unemployment taxes while other religious organizations were exempted.
In its <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-154_2b82.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruling</a>, the court struck down a decision from the Wisconsin Supreme Court that said the Catholic Charities Bureau had to pay taxes on unemployment compensation. The court said that the interpretation of state tax law by Wisconsin&#8217;s Supreme Court violated the First Amendment.
&#8220;The First Amendment mandates government neutrality between religions and subjects any state-sponsored denominational preference to strict scrutiny,&#8221; Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the majority decision. &#8220;The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s application of [Wisconsin law] imposed a denominational preference by differentiating between religions based on theological lines.&#8221;
Catholic Charities Bureau is an organization that provides services to poor people, the disabled, the elderly, and children with special needs as a ministry of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Superior. According to its <a href="https://ccbsuperior.org/about-us/">website</a>, it provides around 50 programs to over 10,500 people.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion, saying that in addition to violating the First Amendment, the Wisconsin Supreme Court violated the church autonomy doctrine, which means that a religious institution is not defined by any corporate entity it may form.
&#8220;I would reverse for an additional reason — that the Wisconsin Supreme Court violated the church autonomy doctrine,&#8221; Thomas wrote. &#8220;However incorporated, Catholic Charities and its subentities are, from a religious perspective, a mere arm of the Diocese of Superior. The Wisconsin Supreme Court should have deferred to that understanding, and its failure to do so amounted to an unlawful attempt by the State to redefine the Diocese’s internal governance.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
Thomas noted that the government could not use entities created by religious institutions as a backdoor means to regulate their internal governance.
&#8220;In short, the corporation is made for the church, not the church for the corporation. Both the basic principles of church autonomy and the history of religious corporations establish that religious institutions are more than the corporate entities that they form,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;It follows that the government may not use such entities as a means of regulating the internal governance of religious institutions.&#8221;
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson also issued a separate concurring opinion.

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