Monsignor Stephen Rossetti

Cardinal Robert McElroy has offered a different explanation for his removal of Monsignor Stephen Rossetti as an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington, differing from the one given in the archdiocese’s original announcement 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.

Cardinal Robert McElroy has removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti as an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington after the priest suggested that many reported UFO sightings could be demonic manifestations. The archdiocese also ended its affiliation with the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal Cardinal Robert McElroy has removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti as an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington after the priest publicly suggested that many reported UFO sightings could be demonic manifestations. The Archdiocese of Washington announced that Cardinal McElroy had also ended all affiliation between the archdiocese and the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal in Washington, D.C., which is directed by Monsignor Rossetti. In a statement released by the archdiocese, Cardinal McElroy said that comments made by the priest linking unidentified flying objects to demonic activity, together with the centre’s recent use of social media, “gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism”. The move follows remarks made by Monsignor Rossetti during a YouTube video published on 29 May in which he discussed reports of unidentified aerial phenomena. “Probably many, if not most, UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Monsignor Rossetti said. The priest, who has long been associated with exorcism ministry in the United States, added that he personally does not believe intelligent life exists on other planets and argued that some reported UFO encounters resembled experiences he had witnessed during exorcisms. According to Monsignor Rossetti, demons ordinarily remain hidden but can sometimes manifest themselves in unusual ways. He pointed to reports of shadowy figures, unexplained lights and mysterious orbs, claiming that such phenomena often mirrored accounts heard during deliverance ministry. He also recounted a case involving a woman who identified a photograph of a UFO as depicting a demonic presence. Monsignor Rossetti, 74, is a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse in New York and has spent much of his ministry working in the fields of psychology, priestly formation and spiritual renewal. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he served in Air Force intelligence before entering seminary and being ordained a priest in 1984. He later earned a doctorate in counselling psychology from Boston College and became one of the best-known American priests working at the intersection of psychology and Catholic pastoral ministry. From 1996 until 2009, he served as president and chief executive of Saint Luke Institute in Maryland, a treatment and education centre specialising in the psychological and spiritual wellbeing of clergy and religious. He subsequently joined the faculty of The Catholic University of America in Washington. The Archdiocese of Washington has not indicated whether a successor will be appointed to fulfil the role previously held by Monsignor Rossetti. The statement issued by Cardinal McElroy did not elaborate further on the decision beyond citing the priest’s remarks on UFOs and concerns about the centre’s social media activity. While Catholic teaching affirms the existence of the devil and permits the practice of exorcism under strict ecclesiastical regulation, the Church has generally urged caution regarding alleged supernatural phenomena and has not endorsed theories linking reports of UFOs to demonic manifestations.