Who Is Stephen Rossetti? Priest Removed As Exorcist Over UFO Remarks

A Catholic priest has been removed from his role as an exorcist after making remarks linking UFOs to demons.

Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, a well-known exorcist in Washington, D.C., was relieved of his duties by Cardinal Robert McElroy, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., after saying in a May 29 video that “many, if not most,” UFO sightings could be explained as demonic activity.

McElroy took action on June 3 and said the comments “gravely undermined” official Catholic teaching on demons and exorcism, prompting the archdiocese to also cut ties with the center that is headed by Rossetti.

Rossetti later said he was saddened by the decision and apologized, pledging to remain obedient to Church doctrine.

Rossetti, who has over 148,000 followers on Instagram, is a prominent psychologist as well as an exorcist. His Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a nonprofit that is based in Washington, D.C, has specialized in offering spiritual healing for priests troubled by various difficulties.

In a May 29 video, that was posted on Facebook, Rossetti talked about UFO sightings as well as the potential existence of alien life.

“There’s a danger here,” he said. “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.

“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,” he added.

In a statement posted on the St. Michael Center website, Rossetti said: “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.’

“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.”

This article uses reporting by The Associated Press.