Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington has removed a priest from his exorcism ministry in that archdiocese, citing concerns over the cleric’s recent social media statements “linking UFOs to demonic presence.”
In a brief statement issued 3 June, the cardinal said that Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, New York, can no longer exercise his ministry as an exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington.
In addition, Cardinal McElroy said he had “ended all affiliation between the archdiocese and the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal located in Washington, D.C.”
The cardinal said that the connection Msgr. Rossetti drew between UFOs and demons, and the St Michael Centre’s recent social media use, “gravely undermine the church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.”
In a 3 June response posted to the centre’s website, Msgr. Rossetti said he was “saddened by the decision of the Archdiocese of Washington.”
Referencing a 29 May video he had posted on his Facebook account – in which he mused as to whether aliens are real or demons, stating he personally believed the latter – Msgr. Rossetti said in his message, “I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium” and encouraged all to remain in the “boat” of the Catholic Church.
He said the St Michael Centre, which serves people who are suffering spiritually, would “continue its ministry elsewhere.”
