Stephen Rossetti to relaunch deliverance ministry after removal as Washington exorcist

Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, a priest who was removed as an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington in June, has announced he is relaunching his nonprofit deliverance ministry. His organization, the St. Michael Centre for Spiritual Renewal, is scheduled to resume activities with an online prayer session on September 28.

Rossetti’s removal by Cardinal Robert W. McElroy followed controversial social media comments in which the priest suggested that many UFO sightings might actually be demonic manifestations. Cardinal McElroy stated the decision was not about the existence of extraterrestrials, but rather that the role of an exorcist should remain a private and sacred function, noting that Rossetti's comments risked undermining official Church teachings on demonology.

Despite the removal from the Washington Archdiocese, Rossetti remains a priest in good standing within the Diocese of Syracuse. He stated that Bishop Douglas J. Lucia of Syracuse has encouraged and supported his continued service, and Rossetti maintains that he holds necessary faculties to practice as a priest and exorcist in several other dioceses.