YouTube shut down a channel devoted to encouraging Catholic young adults to live out their faith, claiming it constituted “spam, deceptive practices [or a] scam.” 

Monét Souza runs a YouTube channel called A Message of Hope on which she posts weekly videos exploring inspiring messages of what it looks like to live out a strong Catholic faith in a secular world. In an Instagram video about the censorship, Souza characterized the incident as “Christian persecution,” adding that “they are trying to silence people that speak on matters that don’t fit their agenda.” She explained that her channel has been live for nearly six years and that “this [censorship] only came after the last thing that I posted, which was on Charlie Kirk’s death.” 

On Sept. 14, 2025, YouTube sent Souza an email claiming that it had “reviewed [her] content and found severe or repeated violations of [its] spam, deceptive practices and scams policy.” As a result, the Google-owned video platform removed Souza’s channel. 

Within 90 minutes after MRC Free Speech America first received a response from a YouTube spokesperson about Souza’s case, the platform noted that it had reinstated her channel. Souza confirmed that the channel was reinstated during that timeframe. YouTube, however, did not comment on the reasons it was removed in the first place. 

Her channel focuses not on scamming but on topics that include “faith, morals, identity found in Jesus Christ,” homeschooling, parenting, how to be chaste and modest in the modern world and other hopeful messages. She often interviews prominent guests on these and other subjects with a direct impact on faith. 

Souza posted a new video on her YouTube channel announcing the reversal, proclaiming, “Praise God, prayers were answered.”