Understanding the Termination of an Exorcist's Ministry in Washington, D.C.

The Archdiocese of Washington, DC just announced the end of Monsignor Stephen Rosetti’s ministry as an exorcist in that archdiocese and of its association with the ministry of Mosignor Rosetti’s St. Michael Center.

Rosetti, a priest ordained originally for the Diocese of Syracuse, NY has a long history of practice as a psychologist in service to the Church. Most recently, about twenty years ago, he came out publicly as an exorcist promoting his exorcism ministry via social media.

The reason for his removal is, according to Cardinal Archbishop McElroy, that Rosetti linked UFOs to demonic presence. The prelate also said that the monsignor’s use of social media undermines “very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.”

Rosetti, in response, submitted to the authority of the Cardinal Archbishop and promised to move the St. Michael Center to another location. There is no indication at this time of where that might be.

Rosetti, who is also a research associate professor of practice at Catholic University of America, holds various degrees from various prestigious universities including a Ph.D in Counseling Psychology from Boston College and a D. Min from Catholic University of America. He is well known for his role as Past President and CEO of the St. Luke Institute in Silver Spring Maryland, among other positions.

The current action on the part of Cardinal McElroy does not affect his authorization as priest in any capacity or indicate any malfeasance on his part in any way except for a disagreement on his teachings regarding the demonic and the ministry of exorcist.

The action, however, is earth-shaking in some Church circles including those who long complained about what they call celebrity exorcists proclaiming publicly teachings on demonic activity and their ministry to fight it. Many Catholics, myself included, raise concerns about whether these teachings are accurate or even pastorally prudent.

The action taken against Monsignor Rosetti’s exorcism ministry received both support by some and push back by others in the Church. Those who expressed anger may not fully understand the nature of the action.

Some exorcists teach that there is a demonic connection between the growth of questions on extraterrestrial aliens (E.T.s), however, there is no church teaching expressing this to be true or false for that matter. Further, there are some serious theological questions that would have to be studied to make that declaration. According to common understanding of E.T.s, if they do exist, they are made of matter. Demons are spirits.

Betty Hill and Barney Hill who claimed to have been abducted and probed by aliens in New Hampshire firmly believed this happened. She described being examined by physical beings from another part of our universe. If demons are spirits, how and why would they probe human beings on this planet. It is a question worth studying but at present there is no theological understanding that answers that question. The question of whether E.T.s actually exist has not been answered either.

I have personally seen almost every type of flying aircraft many believe are UFOs. All of them, that I have seen, matched the descriptions of other alien spacecraft described by those who claim to have seen one or more UFOs. Every craft, I saw, that matched these descriptions was, in fact, U.S. military aircraft.

Last night, I listened to The Other Side of Midnight with Walter Sterling on WABCRadio.com. A guest spoke about the belief that there is an alien from Venus who now lives on Earth and works in the US government. Venus' ambient temperature is close to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Aside from the bizarre nature of the claim, how does a biological creature accustomed to such extreme temperature even live on Earth. To such a being, our normal existence would be like living in the coldest part of Antarctica and then some. So, before we ask if aliens are demons or not, we need to know if they are even real.

An exorcist may maintain that belief that this growth in UFO curiosity may be demonic but it is not church teaching because the Church has no answer one way or another about whether E.T.s are demonic or even exist on this planet. If a priest is acting in an official capacity and even directly designated by the archbishop then the ordinary has to ensure that what he teaches is magisterial teaching, especially on such a highly charged ministry as exorcism.

Giving another example: Someone may confess to me that they committed a sin but I realize they in fact did not sin. They may disagree with my correction and even claim that they should not have done the action, my response is that I am going by what the Church actually teaches.

A hypothetical example: A father gets angry with his teenaged son for not coming home before his required time. He yells at this son for showing up one hour late and not calling to tell him he will not arrive on time. Later, the father confesses to me that he got angry with his son. He may feel he could have handled the situation better but that is not a sin. He had a right to be angry. So, he may push back to me saying he should not have yelled at this son in that way. I may agree but also explain that the question in confession is not whether he handled the situation properly but rather whether it is a sin. I would explain it was not a sin; in fact, it was just to be angry for his son’s action as that is the issue being addressed in confession. How the father handled it is a separate question to be addressed outside of the confessional.

Cardinal McElroy’s actions reflect the need to ensure exorcists are addressing issues of the demonic within the discipline of what the Church actually teaches. This, we can assume, is for various reasons but not the least of which is to ensure there is no confusion or misunderstanding expressed in this intense ministry.

Finally, it is essential to note that Cardinal McElroy removed Monsignor Rosetti from his exorcism ministry in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., he did not remove him from any form of priestly ministry beyond that. Therefore, Monsignor Rosetti will continue his priestly ministry in service to the Church.

Fr. Robert J Carr is chaplain for two hospitals in Brockton, Massachusetts

His Patreon Page is patreon.com/catholicaudiomedia

He is the author of several books including: Christ in Your Humanity