Washington Archbishop Removes Veteran Catholic Exorcist After Claiming Ufos Are 'Demonic' Threats

A senior Catholic priest known internationally for his work as an exorcist has been removed from his role in Washington after publicly claiming many UFO sightings could be linked to demonic activity.

The decision by Cardinal Robert McElroy cuts through a growing tension inside the Church over how far clergy can push supernatural interpretations into modern cultural obsessions.

More on the Removal Decision

Monsignor Stephen Rossetti had become one of the most recognisable American exorcists online, building a substantial following through social media videos, podcasts and spiritual counselling.

Comments he made, however, last month about UFOs appear to have crossed a line for the Archdiocese of Washington, which moved swiftly on Wednesday to distance itself from both the priest and the organisation he leads.

McElroy announced that Rossetti had been removed as an exorcist for the archdiocese and confirmed institutional ties with the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal would also end.

He said Rossetti's statements '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'.

A Fringe Theory Moves Into Public View

The controversy stems from a video Rossetti posted on Facebook on 29 May, which has now been removed, discussing extraterrestrial life, UFO sightings and demonic deception. In it, the priest warned viewers that evil spirits work by remaining hidden and manipulating human behaviour indirectly.

'There's a danger here,' Rossetti said. 'As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide. They don't want us to know what they're doing because they're more effective when we don't realise it.'

He continued by suggesting demons could 'get into your head' and influence people toward evil acts.

What made the remarks particularly striking was not simply the subject matter, but the certainty attached to it. Rossetti said it was his 'personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons'.

The Catholic Church has long acknowledged belief in extraterrestrial life is not incompatible with Catholic teaching. The Vatican Observatory itself has previously entertained scientific discussions about alien existence without theological alarmism.

Rossetti, however, took the argument and clarified that Catholics could believe in life beyond Earth, he added that he personally did not think alien life existed at all. Public claims tying UFO phenomena to demonic activity risk pushing the practice into territory the Vatican has spent years trying to avoid.

Social Media Fame Meets Institutional Limits

Rossetti's removal also reflects a broader struggle inside the Catholic Church over clergy who build large digital audiences outside traditional structures.

The priest has more than 148,000 Instagram followers and has become a prominent online figure discussing demonic possession, spiritual warfare and psychological trauma. A trained psychologist as well as an exorcist, Rossetti often presented himself as someone bridging clinical expertise with spiritual practice.

His St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal gained attention for working with priests experiencing emotional or spiritual distress. The work earned credibility within conservative Catholic circles increasingly drawn toward discussions about exorcism and demonic influence.

In 2023, Rossetti told The Associated Press there was growing public interest in exorcism and possession cases. The appetite has only intensified since then, fuelled partly by social media algorithms that reward dramatic religious content and conspiracy-adjacent themes.

Church leaders have historically tried to keep exorcism tightly controlled precisely because of the risk of exaggeration and public spectacle. McElroy's intervention signals an attempt to pull that boundary back into place.

Speculation about UFOs may attract clicks and followers, but tying them to demonic forces under the authority of the Catholic Church was evidently a step too far.

Rossetti Offers Public Apology

Hours after the archdiocese announced the decision, Rossetti released a statement on the St. Michael Center website expressing regret.

'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",' he said.

He added that obedience to Church teaching remained 'of the utmost importance' and said he would continue working to ensure the centre aligned with Catholic doctrine.

As questions continue over the role of personal beliefs in religious leadership, the controversy serves as a reminder that even discussions of the unknown can have very real consequences within established institutions.