Cardinal Robert McElroy has offered a new explanation for his decision to remove Monsignor Stephen Rossetti as an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington.
Speaking to Catholic News Service in an interview conducted on 29 June and released on 8 July, Cardinal McElroy said his decision should not be interpreted as a judgment on unidentified flying objects or extraterrestrial life, but rather reflected his conviction that the ministry of exorcism ought to remain discreet and centred on pastoral care.
“It wasn’t touching on the question of UFOs,” the cardinal said. “My major objection is that I think the traditional role of an exorcist is a very private one. It’s a sacred one.”
“I think the more traditional approach of an exorcist is a private, within-the-life-of-the-Church ministry to help individuals who are in crisis and seem to be demonically possessed,” Cardinal McElroy told Catholic News Service. “It shouldn’t go beyond that for people who are doing exorcism.”
The different explanations in the two statements call into question Cardinal McElroy’s explanation. While the original announcement directly linked the priest’s public comments about UFOs to the action taken against him, the cardinal’s subsequent interview instead focused on the nature of the office itself, arguing that an exorcist’s ministry should remain largely unseen.
Msgr. Rossetti had become one of the most prominent Catholic exorcists in the United States through his work with the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal and an extensive online presence. The centre’s YouTube channel has attracted more than 146,000 subscribers, while the priest has also built sizeable followings on other social media platforms by discussing exorcism, spiritual warfare and reports of demonic activity.
The controversy intensified after a post published in May in which Msgr. Rossetti wrote that “probably many, if not most, UFO sightings are in fact demons”.
When the Archdiocese announced his removal in early June, the statement explicitly cited both the comments linking UFOs with demonic activity and the St. Michael Center’s recent use of social media, saying they undermined the Church’s teaching on demons and exorcism.
Cardinal McElroy’s later explanation has therefore shifted attention from the substance of Msgr. Rossetti’s claims to the way exorcism is exercised publicly. In his interview, he described exorcism as a ministry entrusted by a bishop in particularly serious cases and suggested that public commentary extending beyond that pastoral responsibility was inconsistent with its traditional character.
The importance of discretion is reflected in existing Church practice. Guidance published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops notes that “the preservation of confidentiality is important” in the exercise of exorcism, underscoring the sensitive nature of the ministry and the vulnerability of those who seek its assistance.
Following his removal, Msgr. Rossetti expressed sadness at the decision while reaffirming his obedience to the Church. He asked forgiveness “for any ways in which I have failed to remain fully obedient to the Magisterium of the Church” and confirmed that the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal would continue its work independently of the Archdiocese of Washington.
