HOUSTON, Texas — Instagram told Catholic Connect — the largest Catholic organization account in the United States — that it was banned for “intellectual property violations.” Then Catholic Connect discovered the truth: Instagram told the person who reported the account that it was banned for “harassment and bullying.” They gave us one reason and our accuser another. Someone at Instagram skipped the Eighth Commandment.
“They claimed IP violations but gave us nothing — no posts, no complaints, no evidence. Then we discovered they told our accuser something completely different: ‘harassment and bullying.’ One ban. Two stories. Zero credibility. We have the screenshots to prove it,” said Richy Orozco, Founder of Catholic Connect Inc.
This is nothing new for Instagram. The platform has a long history of targeting Christian content. The Christian Post reported that Instagram once classified worship videos as “harmful or false information.” Apparently, praising God violates “community standards,” but the platform can’t even keep its own story straight when banning accounts.
This happened before. In 2021, Instagram permanently banned Catholic Connect using the exact same “intellectual property” excuse. After Catholic News Agency and National Catholic Register reported on the story, public outcry forced Instagram to reverse what it called a “permanent” ban. Public pressure made Instagram backtrack in 2021. Miracles happen — sometimes even at Meta headquarters.
Catholic Connect has contacted the White House Faith Office and is in communication with individuals close to the administration who are working to assist. The organization thanks CatholicVote and Newsmax “The Record with Greta Van Susteren” for covering this story.
Facebook banned Franklin Graham — Billy Graham’s son, with 10 million followers — and later called it a ‘mistake.’ They restricted Aid to the Church in Need UK — a Catholic charity fighting forced marriage of Christian women — from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, then refused to explain why. And now they’ve erased the largest Catholic account in America on Instagram. Twice. With contradictory excuses and zero evidence. If Meta can silence Billy Graham’s son and a charity protecting persecuted women, your Catholic account is living on borrowed time.
Catholic Connect will keep fighting this censorship from Instagram. Christians who want to help can sign up to our newsletter at CatholicConnect.io for the latest updates, contact Meta, and reach out to Instagram and demand they restore our account. Religious liberty attorneys interested in the case are encouraged to reach out.
