Mgr Stephen Rossetti, a prominent exorcist and founder of the St Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, was removed as an exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington by Cardinal Robert McElroy on June 3 after the priest suggested that many UFO sightings may be demonic in origin. Bishop Douglas J Lucia of Syracuse, Rossetti’s home diocese, promptly affirmed that the monsignor remains a priest in good standing.
The removal followed a video Rossetti posted on May 29 in response to renewed public interest in unidentified aerial phenomena after recent government file releases. In the now-deleted recording, the priest said: “There’s no question in my mind personally … it’s my personal belief that probably many, if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons.” He added that demons “like to hide” and can perform feats beyond normal human capability, such as rapid changes in trajectory, while stressing that belief in extraterrestrial life is not incompatible with the Faith but carries spiritual dangers.
