Biden’s DOJ has turned a blind eye to a rash of anti-Catholic violence since Dobbs

Bricks hurled through windows. Churches set on fire in the middle of the night and worshippers harangued at services. Bigoted graffiti spray-painted on walls. Death threats against students.

These heinous acts sound like dispatches from the Jim Crow-era South. But these have all occurred over the last two years, and the Biden administration has turned a blind eye to them.

The target? The Catholic Church. The reason? Abortion.

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a landmark decision two years ago this month, pro-abortion rights extremists promised a “summer of rage”. They targeted at least one justice for assassination, and they harassed pro-life pregnancy centers across the country.

They especially declared all-out war on the Catholic Church, which has stood explicitly against abortion from its inception.

“Stuff your rosaries and weaponized prayer,” read a tweet posted by the shadowy group Ruth Sent Us after the draft opinion was leaked. “We will remain outraged after this weekend, so keep praying. We’ll be burning the Eucharist to show our disgust for the abuse Catholic Churches have condoned for centuries.” Few had heard of Ruth Sent Us or similar domestic extremist groups like Jane’s Revenge, but Catholics across the country learned about them quickly.

Since the leak of the draft Dobbs opinion on May 2, 2022, there have been 259 documented acts of violence and vandalism against Catholic churches in the U.S. These are not easily dismissed or minor incidents such as thefts of cash from the poor box. Rather, they are deeply disturbing and often violent acts like the ones described earlier, usually carrying clear political or spiritual motives. They have caused millions of dollars in physical damage, but they have done even more serious damage to the safety and civil rights of Catholics to practice their religion in peace.

Normally, a sustained wave of violence against an identity-based group, organized by shadowy extremist forces, would merit federal law enforcement resources and a commitment to stopping the hatred. Unfortunately, the Biden administration has done nothing about this problem.

Despite being implored to take such steps by our organization and members of Congress, the Department of Justice under our second Catholic president has not prosecuted a single one of the attacks on Catholic churches.

The Justice Department has vigorously enforced the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act against pro-lifers engaged in peaceful prayer outside abortion clinics. But the FACE Act also criminalizes attacks on and obstruction of places of worship. The Biden administration has refused to use this powerful tool to protect churches.

And at a time when federal law enforcement should be surveilling those plotting attacks against churches, they have instead been surveilling faithful Catholics in the pews. An FBI memo leaked last year revealed the agency was preparing to conduct operations to identify “Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology”. Never mind that the Catholic Church is the most diverse religious group in America.

Meanwhile, the open season on Catholic churches continues unabated, with 30 attacks so far in 2024. The issue is taking on new urgency in this election year, when up to a dozen states will be voting on abortion-related ballot measures. Catholic churches in states which have voted on similar measures over the last two years — including Kansas, Michigan and Ohio — have seen vandalism of their pro-life displays and other attempts to intimidate voters in the weeks leading up to the elections.

The Biden administration constantly warns of threats to our democracy and claims to be combatting voter suppression. What better way to showcase its commitment to equal justice and fair elections than to dedicate the full law enforcement power of the federal government to protecting Catholic churches and their right to engage in the public square?

We’re not holding our breath.

Tommy Valentine is director of CatholicVote’s Catholic Accountability Project.