#USA #DC – The Archbishop of Washington has removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, a longtime exorcist with nearly two decades of service, after he publicly suggested in his own personal opinion that many UFO sightings represented demonic activity. Cardinal Robert McElroy announced the decision on June 3, 2026, and also severed the archdiocese’s affiliation with Rossetti’s Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal.
In a statement, Cardinal McElroy said Rossetti’s comments, made in a May 29 YouTube video, along with the center’s use of social media, “gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.” Rossetti, a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, New York, and a psychologist, had served as the archdiocese’s chief exorcist since around 2007.
In the video, Rossetti stated his personal belief that “many, if not most” UFO sightings were in fact demons. He described demons as entities that prefer to hide and operate undetected, and he warned of the spiritual dangers posed by such phenomena.
Rossetti responded to the archdiocese’s action with a statement posted on the Saint Michael Center’s website. “I am saddened by the decision,” he wrote. “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 reaffirmed his commitment to obedience and said the center would continue its ministry independently while praying for the archdiocese.
The move drew mixed reactions within Catholic circles. Supporters of Rossetti praised his decades of work in spiritual warfare and deliverance ministry, noting his authorship of books on exorcism and his leadership of online prayer sessions. Critics, including some who cited differing views from past Vatican exorcists like the late Monsignor Corrado Balducci, argued that the Church holds no official position on UFOs or extraterrestrial life and urged caution against speculation.
The Catholic Church has no formal doctrinal stance on UFO phenomena, though it has historically emphasized careful discernment in matters involving the demonic. Rossetti’s center, founded to provide spiritual renewal and deliverance prayers, had gained visibility through its YouTube channel and public outreach.
Image: Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington (left) and Monsignor Stephen Rossetti (right).
