Tura, April 30: The Garo Hills Catholic Union (GHCU) has strongly condemned what it described as “malicious and deeply disrespectful” social media posts made by the Facebook pages “The All Garo Hills Times Now” and “Ephilson Sangma,” which allegedly targeted the Catholic Church and His Holiness Pope Francis.
In an official statement by the Secretary, H. N Marak, the GHCU expressed outrage over the circulation of what it termed unverified and defamatory content, calling the posts “irresponsible” and “divisive.”
The union stated that such actions deeply hurt the sentiments of millions of Catholics and contribute to the spread of misinformation, fostering religious discord within the community.
“All religions, their teachings, and leaders must be treated with respect and dignity,” the GHCU asserted. “We will not tolerate any attempts to malign or mock our faith.”
In response, the GHCU has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the individuals associated with the pages in question. The union demanded a public apology from the administrator/ owner of “The All Garo Hills Times Now” page, the person identified as the “anonymous participant” of the same page, and the individual behind the “Ephilson Sangma” page. In addition to the public apology, the GHCU also called for each of them to issue a personal apology to the union’s leadership.
Failure to comply, the statement warned, will result in “stern action” through appropriate legal and social channels.
Reaffirming its commitment to defending the dignity of the Catholic Church and its leadership, the GHCU stated that it will respond firmly to any future attempts to insult or spread malicious propaganda against the Church.
The union also urged the public and media to exercise their right to freedom of expression responsibly and to refrain from using digital platforms to promote hate or falsehoods.
