Overview
A U.S. cardinal said the role of an exorcist should remain private and within the life of the Church after a high-profile priest was removed from his position amid controversy over comments linking UFOs to demonic activity. Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington said his decision to remove Msgr. Stephen Rossetti from his archdiocesan appointment was based on how publicly the priest exercised the ministry, not on any official Church position regarding unidentified flying objects or extraterrestrial life.
Speaking to Catholic News Service on June 29 at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, McElroy said the issue was not the existence of UFOs, but rather the proper nature of exorcism in Catholic practice. “My major objection is that I think the traditional role of an exorcist is a very private one. It’s a sacred one,” he said. The cardinal added that exorcists are entrusted by their bishops to assist in serious cases and should remain focused on that pastoral mission.
Background to the Removal
The controversy intensified after Msgr. Rossetti, who has built one of the largest online followings among Catholic exorcists, posted on social media in May that “probably many, if not most, UFO sightings are in fact demons.” His remarks drew broad attention at a time when public interest in unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP, the government’s preferred term for UFOs, has continued to grow.
Rossetti’s online presence has made him a prominent figure in Catholic discussions of spiritual warfare, demonic activity and exorcism. Through the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, he has amassed more than 146,000 YouTube followers and tens of thousands more on Instagram, where he regularly discusses topics tied to the spiritual realm. That visibility, however, became part of the concern for McElroy, who on June 3 said in a press release that Rossetti’s statements linking UFOs to demonic presence, along with the center’s use of social media, “gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.”
Church Debate and Reaction
The removal quickly sparked debate among Catholics and beyond, with some interpreting it as a statement about extraterrestrial life and others seeing it as a correction to what Church leaders viewed as personal speculation being presented too publicly. Christopher Baglow, director of the Science and Religion Initiative at the McGrath Institute for Church Life, told The New York Times after the removal that Rossetti may have crossed a line by “putting forward his own doctrine as something Catholics should accept.”
Not all reactions were critical of Rossetti’s view. U.S. Vice President JD Vance has previously said, “I don’t think they’re aliens. I think they’re demons anyway,” underscoring how UFO speculation continues to intersect with religious and political commentary. Even so, McElroy emphasized that the archdiocese’s action was about maintaining the proper boundaries of the ministry, not endorsing any theory about UFOs or alien life.
Rossetti’s Response and What Comes Next
Following his removal, Rossetti said he was saddened by the decision and asked forgiveness “for any ways in which I have failed to remain fully obedient to the Magisterium of the Church.” He also said the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal would continue its ministry independently, suggesting the controversy is unlikely to silence debate over exorcism, social media and claims of demonic involvement in UFO sightings.
For the Archdiocese of Washington, the message from McElroy was clear: exorcism is to remain a confidential, sacred pastoral ministry, not a public platform for speculation. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops similarly notes on its exorcism guidance page that “the preservation of confidentiality is important,” reinforcing the cardinal’s view that the role should stay firmly within the Church’s internal spiritual life.
