SUMMARY: Catholic Connect — the largest Catholic organization account on Instagram in America (620,000+ followers, 36.4 million monthly views) — shared a post about Rachel Mastrogiacomo, a woman who was ritually raped by Catholic priest Jacob Bertrand in 2010. Bertrand confessed to the crime and pleaded guilty. He is now a registered predatory offender. Cardinal Robert McElroy — a vocal Trump critic — covered up the abuse, refused to remove Bertrand from ministry after his confession, and refused to cooperate with police. Catholic Connect called this out. Months later, an anonymous user reported the post, and Instagram banned the account — giving two completely different excuses: “intellectual property violations” to Catholic Connect, and “harassment and bullying” to the person who reported the account. Two different lies. Zero evidence. A cover-up to protect a cover-up.
HOUSTON, Dec. 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
The Survivor’s Story: Rachel Mastrogiacomo
In 2010, Rachel Mastrogiacomo — a devout 24-year-old Catholic woman studying theology in Rome — was ritually raped by Fr. Jacob Bertrand, a priest from the Diocese of San Diego. Bertrand had spent months grooming Rachel, manipulating her faith, and convincing her that sexual acts during a private Mass were “God’s will.”
This was not a he-said-she-said situation. Here’s what the record shows:
- Bertrand CONFESSED to the crime in front of Church officials
- Bertrand PLEADED GUILTY in criminal court
- Bertrand was CONVICTED and sentenced to 10 years probation
- Bertrand is now a REGISTERED PREDATORY OFFENDER
- Bertrand was eventually LAICIZED (removed from the priesthood)
- Multiple witnesses provided corroborating statements to police
The full court documentation — including the guilty plea, witness statements, victim impact statement, and statement of probable cause — is publicly available at PurifyTheChurch.online/legal.html. Rachel’s case has been reported by The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and numerous Catholic news outlets.
The Cover-Up: Cardinal Robert McElroy
When Rachel reported her abuse to the Diocese of San Diego in 2014, Bishop Robert McElroy (now Cardinal McElroy) did the following:
- Did NOT remove Bertrand from ministry — even after Bertrand confessed
- Did NOT interview Rachel or ask for names of other potential victims
- REFUSED to hand over key files to police
- Was “completely uncooperative” with law enforcement throughout the investigation
- Has FAILED to monitor Bertrand, who now attends Bible study at an evangelical church despite being a registered predatory offender
Rachel’s own words about McElroy: “I can personally attest to the fact that McElroy is a monster.” She said she felt like “a faithful little sheep in the flock that could just be raped and thrown out.”
Despite this documented record of covering up abuse, Pope Francis promoted McElroy to Cardinal in August 2022. McElroy is known for publicly criticizing President Trump and taking progressive positions that put him at odds with traditional Catholics.
What Catholic Connect Did
Catholic Connect shared Rachel’s story with our audience of 36 million monthly viewers. We called out the cover-up. We named the Cardinal. We let our audience judge for themselves. That’s what we do — that’s what we’ve done for over a decade with 11,000+ posts. We give voice to the voiceless. We shine light on darkness in the Church.
Months later, someone reported that post. Instagram banned us for it.
The Timing
December 8, 2025: President Trump releases official White House message honoring the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and Catholic contributions to America.
December 9, 2025: Instagram bans Catholic Connect — for sharing a story about a Cardinal who publicly criticizes Trump and covered up abuse.
Coincidence?
The Lie: Two Different Excuses for the Same Ban
What Instagram told Catholic Connect: “Intellectual property violations”
What Instagram told the person who reported us: “Harassment and bullying”
Two completely different reasons for the same ban. At least one is a lie. Actually — both are lies. The real reason? We shared a survivor’s story that made a powerful Cardinal look bad.
The discrepancy came to light after the anonymous user who reported our account bragged to another Catholic page about getting Catholic Connect banned. That page forwarded the messages to us — revealing that Instagram told them a completely different reason than what Instagram told us. Screenshots and evidence are available at CatholicConnect.io/evidence
No Evidence. No Warning. No Chance to Respond.
Instagram claimed “intellectual property violations” — but:
- They showed us ZERO evidence — no specific posts, no IP claims, no complainants
- They never emailed us any IP infringement notices (Instagram’s standard process)
- They deactivated our account BEFORE we could respond to anything
- We requested the specific IP claims — they went silent
- They locked us out of our backup account too — sending a verification code that returned an error when entered correctly
“This wasn’t enforcement — this was an ambush. They claimed IP violations but showed us nothing. They gave us no warning, no chance to fix anything, and no way to respond. Then they locked us out of our backup so we couldn’t rebuild. And when we asked for proof, they went silent. That’s not content moderation. That’s a hit job,” said Richy Orozco, Founder of Catholic Connect Inc.
The Smoking Gun: Facebook Is Fine
Same team. Same content. Same company.
- Facebook: Zero issues. No warnings. No suspension.
- Instagram: Banned twice (2021 and 2025) with the same fake excuse.
If this were really about intellectual property or harassment, Facebook would have the same problems. It doesn’t. This is targeted.
The Survivor Speaks
After learning of Catholic Connect’s ban, Rachel Mastrogiacomo reached out directly:
“I am appalled and heartbroken to learn that you have been so egregiously persecuted for standing up for me. Learning this devastated me… May Jesus and Mary bless you for bearing this persecution for the sake of righteousness. Forget about me — you stood up for countless other survivors in the shadows. You faithfully stand for Christ Himself! May your reward be great.”
Rachel also addressed those attempting to discredit her story:
“The court docs and public records in fact exonerate me. They don’t discredit me or make me appear delusional… I have just published a book which directs readers to the public record itself.”
To Those Gaslighting Survivors
Some individuals, including Andrew Likoudis, have attempted to publicly discredit Rachel and gaslight the public about her story.
The public record tells a different story:
- A statement of probable cause from law enforcement
- Multiple corroborating witness statements
- A 2018 guilty plea from the abuser
- A victim impact statement
- Ongoing court proceedings as recently as 2025
The documentation is public. Read it yourself: PurifyTheChurch.online/legal.html. We stand with survivors — not those who gaslight them.
What We Are Demanding
- Show Us the Evidence — You claimed IP violations. Show us the specific posts, the specific claims, and who filed them. You’ve provided nothing.
- Full Transparency — Explain why you gave two different reasons for this ban. “Intellectual property” to us. “Harassment” to the person who reported us. Which is it?
- Account Restoration — Restore @catholicconnect immediately with full follower count and content intact.
- Internal Investigation — Identify who made this decision, why we were given no chance to respond, and why the same excuse was used in 2021 and 2025.
- Policy Changes — Implement safeguards requiring evidence and opportunity to respond BEFORE permanent account termination.
- Public Explanation — Acknowledge that Instagram gave contradictory information and failed to follow its own due process procedures.
THE DEADLINE: We are giving Instagram 72 hours to provide a clear, honest explanation for this ban — and a path to restoration. If they cannot do so, we will pursue every available option, including legal action, regulatory complaints, and continued public pressure until this is resolved.
Catholic Connect is exploring all legal options and invites religious liberty attorneys or law firms interested in taking on this case to reach out. Meta should understand: helping cover up an abuse story and lying about it creates significant legal exposure.
Who Needs to Act
META (Mosseri, Zuckerberg, Oversight Board):
You banned the largest Catholic organization account in America for sharing a documented abuse story — then gave two different excuses and zero evidence. Investigate. Explain. Restore.
WHITE HOUSE & CATHOLIC LEADERS IN GOVERNMENT:
President Trump honored Catholic faith on December 8. Instagram silenced America’s largest Catholic organization account on December 9 — for sharing an abuse story about a Cardinal who criticizes the President. VP Vance, Secretary Rubio, and Catholic members of Congress: your fellow Catholics need your voice.
WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS & SURVIVOR ADVOCATES:
A woman came forward. Her abuser confessed and pleaded guilty. A Cardinal covered it up. We shared her story. Big Tech silenced us — then lied about why. If Instagram can suppress a documented abuse story to protect powerful men, no survivor is safe on these platforms.
CHRISTIAN & CATHOLIC ORGANIZATIONS:
If they’ll ban us for sharing a survivor’s story backed by a guilty plea and court documents, they’ll do it to anyone. Contact Meta. Demand answers. The more pressure, the better.
Who Is Catholic Connect
This isn’t a random account. This is the largest Catholic organization account on Instagram in the United States — a ministry that has:
- Been invited to the White House as part of Catholic outreach
- Been invited by Cardinal Tagle to address all the bishops of the Philippines
- Received a blessing from Cardinal Burke for our entire audience
- Reached 36.4 million views in the last 30 days alone
- Invested over $250,000 in Meta advertising
- Built from scratch by founder Richy Orozco starting right out of high school
This Won’t Stop Us
Instagram also locked us out of our backup account. We’ve been forced to start over at @CatholicConnect3.0. But we’re not slowing down.
Catholic Connect also operates a mobile app that helps Catholics connect with their local community. We’re investing more resources into the app — a platform Big Tech can’t take away from us.
“This should be a wake-up call for every Christian ministry. We cannot rely solely on secular social media platforms. They can cut the cord whenever they want, for whatever reason they want, and make up an excuse after the fact. We need to build on platforms they can’t take away from us,” said Richy Orozco, Founder of Catholic Connect Inc.
Quotables
“A woman was raped by a priest who confessed and pleaded guilty. A Cardinal covered it up. We shared her story. Instagram banned us — then got caught giving two different excuses. That’s not content moderation. That’s a cover-up protecting a cover-up,” said Richy Orozco, Founder of Catholic Connect Inc.
“They told us ‘intellectual property.’ They told the person who reported us ‘harassment.’ Both are lies. The real reason? We exposed a Cardinal who covered up abuse. And they didn’t like it,” said Richy Orozco, Founder of Catholic Connect Inc.
“If Big Tech can silence a documented abuse story — one backed by a confession, a guilty plea, and court records — then no survivor is safe on these platforms,” said Richy Orozco, Founder of Catholic Connect Inc.
“The President honored Catholic faith on December 8. Instagram silenced it on December 9. America is watching,” said Richy Orozco, Founder of Catholic Connect Inc.
How to Support
- Stay updated: www.CatholicConnect.io
- Contact Meta — ask why they gave two different reasons and demand restoration
- Contact the Meta Oversight Board — this is why they exist
- Follow the new account: @CatholicConnect3.0
- Share this story with everyone
The Bottom Line
Rachel Mastrogiacomo was raped by a Catholic priest. He confessed. He pleaded guilty. Cardinal Robert McElroy covered it up. We shared her story. Instagram banned America’s largest Catholic organization account — then got caught giving two different excuses with zero evidence. Big Tech is helping cover up abuse in the Church. We have the receipts. And we’re not going away.
Key Links
Website: https://www.CatholicConnect.io
Evidence of Instagram’s Lies: https://www.CatholicConnect.io/evidence
Court Documents (Rachel’s Case): https://purifythechurch.online/legal.html
New Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicconnect3.0
Meta Oversight Board: https://www.oversightboard.com
2021 CNA Article (Previous Ban): https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/246676
Media Contact
Richy Orozco
Founder of Catholic Connect Inc.
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.CatholicConnect.io
Available for interviews.
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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