Virginia’s New Public Safety Secretary and the FBI’s War on Traditional Catholics
Catholic News Agency reports (December 9, 2025) that Stanley Meador, former FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Richmond field office, has been nominated by Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger to lead the state’s public safety department. Meador oversaw the FBI’s 2023 investigation into so-called “radical traditionalist” Catholics, which included surveillance of parishes and clergy. The memo linked traditional Catholicism to “white nationalism,” prompting condemnation from Richmond “Bishop” Barry Knestout and state attorneys general. While Spanberger praised Meador’s “expertise,” CatholicVote criticized the nomination as an endorsement of religious persecution. The FBI retracted the memo after public backlash, though congressional hearings revealed agents spied on a priest who refused to disclose confessional matters. The Department of Justice later admitted procedural failures but found no “malicious intent.”









