In a significant move on Wednesday, Cardinal Robert McElroy, the Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., decided to remove a prominent priest from his role as an exorcist within the archdiocese. This action follows public remarks made by Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, who suggested a connection between UFO sightings and demonic activity.
The archbishop also announced the severance of ties with the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington-based nonprofit organization led by Rossetti. McElroy expressed concern that Rossetti’s assertions, which link UFO phenomena to demonic influences, along with the center’s recent social media activities, severely misrepresent the Church’s defined teachings regarding the devil, demons, and the practice of exorcism.
Monsignor Rossetti had addressed the topic in a video posted on his Facebook page on May 29. In the video, he discussed the potential dangers associated with UFO sightings and the existence of extraterrestrial beings. “There’s a danger here,” Rossetti cautioned. “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 realize it.”
Rossetti elaborated on his concerns, noting that demons have the ability to subtly manipulate individuals and events, influencing people toward malevolent actions without their awareness.
“They can kind of get into your head, you know, and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil.”
“It’s my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Rossetti added.
Rossetti also said that people can be good Catholics and believe there’s life on other planets, though he does not personally believe life exists elsewhere.
In a statement posted on the St. Michael Center website, Rossetti said he was saddened by the action of the archdiocese.
“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. “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, who has over 148,000 followers on Instagram, is a prominent psychologist as well as an exorcist.
His center has specialized in offering spiritual healing for priests troubled by various difficulties.