(CNSNews.com) -- A Jan. 23 FBI memo showing that the agency was targeting "Radical-Traditionalist Catholics" as potentially "violent extremists" was condemned by the Catholic bishop of Richmond this week, who said the document was a "threat" to the "constitutionally protected free exercise of religion."

Richmond's Bishop Barry Knestout also called on Virginia General Assembly lawmakers to condemn this threat posed by the FBI, and said he was grateful to the Virginia attorney general (and 19 other AGs nationwide) who have called on the federal government "to publicly release all materials related to the production of this memo."

The memo was produced on Jan. 23, 2023 by the FBI Richmond field office, and was obtained and published by the media outlet Uncoverdc.com on Feb. 8. The document states, "FBI Richmond assess the increasingly observed interest of racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) in radical-traditionalist Catholic (RTC) ideology almost certainly presents opportunities for threat mitigation through the exploration of new avenues for tripwire and source development."

In a Feb. 10 letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and 19 other state attorneys general said, "Anti-Catholic bigotry appears to be festering in the FBI, and the Bureau is treating Catholics as potential terrorists because of their beliefs."

In a Feb. 13 statement, Bishop Knestout wrote, “I was alarmed to read the reports written late last week about the contents of the internal memo created by the Richmond Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I was also surprised to learn of the mention of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), a religious order, which celebrates the traditional form of the Catholic Mass."

“The leaked document should be troubling and offensive to all communities of faith, as well as all Americans," said the bishop.  "I am grateful for the Virginia Attorney General and 19 attorneys general who have called upon the government to publicly release all materials related to the production of this memo."

"If evidence of extremism exists, it should be rooted out, but not at the expense of religious freedom," said Bishop Knestout. "A preference for traditional forms of worship and holding closely to the Church’s teachings on marriage, family, human sexuality, and the dignity of the human person does not equate with extremism."

“I call on all national representatives from the Commonwealth of Virginia in the House and Senate to exercise their role of oversight, to publicly condemn this threat to religious liberty, and to ensure that such offenses against the constitutionally protected free exercise of religion do not occur again," he concluded. 

In the memo, the FBI further advised, "FBI Richmond assesses RMVE interest in RTCs is likely to increase over the next 12 to 24 months in the run-up to the next general electioncycle complicating the overall RMVE threat picture while also creating new opportunitites for mitigation efforts." 

The memo also states that "Radical-Traditional Catholics" may find common cause with "violent extremists" over "abortion rights, immigration, affirmative action, and LGBTQ protections."

Faithful Catholics, in union with the Church's teaching, oppose abortion and homosexual behavior, as well as so-called "gay marriage" and gender ideology. Evangelical Christians, in general, hold the same views, as do the Orthodox and most traditional Jews. 

In the memo, the FBI names nine Catholic organizations, which it headlines, "Southern Poverty Law Center-Defined RTC Hate Groups in the United States." The SPLC is a left-wing organization that monitors groups and individuals it deems are a threat to the U.S. 

Some of the "RTC hate groups" listed include Catholic Family News, Culture Wars/Fidelity Press, The Fatima Crusader/International Fatima Rosary Crusade, The Remnant newspaper, and Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Apparently, none of these organizations has a history of violent extremism or of promoting violence. 

"The targeting of Catholics for treatment as 'violent extremists' because of the language in which they pray or because of the beliefs to which they subscribe is unacceptable, unconstitutional, and deeply un-American," said the state attorneys general in the letter to Garland and Wray. 

The First Amendment to the Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."