Catholic group condemns DOJ priorities amid uptick in vandalism against churches

A Roman Catholic organization is condemning the Department of Justice (DOJ) for what it claims is a lackluster approach to investigating an ongoing trend of violence against Catholic symbols after a church in Fairfax County, Virginia, reported that its grotto had been vandalized with several statues destroyed. DOJ officials say they launched a 15-day review on the issue and noted recent hate crimes cases but declined to provide specifics about ongoing investigations. 

“Last month we alerted Attorney General Merrick Garland to the disturbing rash of attacks on Catholic symbols, shrines, statues and churches across the country and asked that the Department of Justice investigate,” Brian Burch, president of the organization CatholicVote, said in a statement.

“Yet, as more and more incidents of vandalism targeting Catholics are reported, the Biden administration continues to turn a blind eye; choosing instead to devote resources to investigating parents who simply want a say in their children’s education.”

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Burch’s statement referred to a notorious DOJ memo announcing an investigation into “violent threats against school board members” days after the National School Boards Association sent a letter comparing concerned parents to domestic terrorists – a letter which the NSBA later rescinded and for which it apologized. Catholic Vote did indeed send Garland a letter in Dec. 2021, urging the DOJ to investigate the trend of anti-Catholic vandalism, citing at least 114 instances since May 2020. That number has risen to 120 in the last few weeks.

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta responded to Burch’s letter on Jan. 28.

“Thank you for your letter of December 15, 2021. Two days after learning of this correspondence, the Attorney General ordered a 15-day review to ensure…