A prominent Catholic exorcist has been removed from his role in the Archdiocese of Washington after comments he made about UFOs and demonic activity sparked controversy and prompted action from Church leadership.
Cardinal Robert McElroy announced Wednesday that Monsignor Stephen Rossetti would no longer serve as an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington. The archdiocese also ended its affiliation with the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a ministry founded and directed by Rossetti that focuses on spiritual healing and deliverance.
According to a statement released by the Archdiocese of Washington, Cardinal McElroy said that Rossetti’s remarks “linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.”
The controversy arose after Rossetti published a video discussing reports of unidentified flying objects and the possibility of extraterrestrial life. In the video, he emphasized that his views were personal opinions rather than official Church teaching.
“There’s a danger here,” Rossetti said in the video, according to the Associated Press. “As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide.”
Rossetti further suggested that many reported UFO sightings could have a spiritual rather than extraterrestrial explanation.
“It’s my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” he said.
The longtime exorcist argued that evil spirits often seek to conceal their true nature, adding, “They don’t want us to know what they’re doing because they’re more effective when we don’t realize it.”
Rossetti also clarified that Catholics are free to believe that life may exist elsewhere in the universe. According to the Associated Press, he stated that a person can be a faithful Catholic and still believe in extraterrestrial life, even though he personally does not hold that view.
Following the archdiocese’s decision, Rossetti issued a public response expressing sorrow over the outcome while reaffirming his commitment to Church authority.
“I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on ‘aliens and the demonic,'” Rossetti said in a statement posted by the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal.
He continued, “I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the Center to be thus obedient.”
Rossetti also thanked the Archdiocese of Washington for nearly two decades of support, noting that he had served as the archdiocese’s exorcist for 19 years. While acknowledging the separation, he indicated that the Saint Michael Center intends to continue its ministry in another location.
The priest concluded his statement with an encouragement he often gives to the faithful: “Stay in the Boat!” He explained that Catholics should remain in “the barque of Peter,” trusting that fidelity to the Church leads safely to Christ.
The incident has also renewed discussion among Catholics about questions surrounding extraterrestrial life, spiritual warfare, and the limits of theological speculation. While the Church teaches clearly about the existence of angels and demons, it has never definitively ruled on whether intelligent life may exist elsewhere in God’s creation.
Rossetti, who is also a psychologist and author with a substantial social media following, has become one of the most recognizable exorcists in the United States. In recent years, he has frequently spoken about what he describes as growing public interest in exorcism, spiritual deliverance, and the reality of demonic influence.
The Archdiocese of Washington’s decision underscores the Church’s insistence that discussions about demons, possession, and exorcism remain firmly grounded in established Catholic teaching and pastoral prudence.
