(LifeSiteNews) — The Diocese of Syracuse, New York, where prominent exorcist Monsignor Stephen Rossetti serves as a priest, issued a statement this week clarifying that he remains in good standing in his home diocese despite his removal as an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., by Cardinal Robert McElroy for saying that demons can disguise themselves as aliens or UFOs.
In a June 3 statement, the diocese announced that its ordinary, Bishop Douglas Lucia, was made aware of McElroy’s removal of Rossetti as an exorcist in D.C. and declared that he remains a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Syracuse. Earlier this week, McElroy, who is well-known for his heterodoxy on homosexuality and other key moral issues, had removed Rossetti from his role as an exorcist in the archdiocese and ended all affiliation with his St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal after the priest stated that so-called “aliens” and UFOs are demons in disguise.
Diocese of Syracuse’s statement
“Most Rev. Douglas J. Lucia, Bishop of Syracuse, was informed today that Robert Cardinal McElroy of the Archdiocese of Washington has removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, a priest of the Diocese of Syracuse, N.Y., as an exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington, and ended all affiliation between the archdiocese and the Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal located in Washington, D.C,” the Diocese of Syracuse wrote.
“The reasons cited were statements made by Monsignor Rossetti linking UFOs to demonic presence, as well as the belief that the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermines the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism,” the diocese added.
The diocese concluded its statement by declaring that Rossetti remains a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Syracuse.
“Msgr. Rossetti has served as a prolific author, educator, licensed psychologist and expert on psychological and spiritual wellness issues for Catholic priests around the world,” the statement said. “He remains a priest in good standing in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse.”
Rossetti’s statement about demons and UFOs
As reported by LifeSiteNews this week, Rossetti published on a now-deleted YouTube video in response to a surge of interest in the topic after the Trump administration’s recent release of files documenting alleged observations of UFOs, during which he said he believes at least “many” of the UFO sightings are actually demons in disguise.
“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,” Msgr. Rossetti said, adding that the demons can accomplish feats that humans are incapable of, such as those observed in UFO sightings, like changing trajectories at seemingly impossible speeds.
Exorcist priest says demons can manifest as UFOs. pic.twitter.com/Ezj6LC5YsV
— Sign of the Cross (@CatholicSOTC) June 2, 2026
The exorcist noted at the outset of the video that, while the existence of aliens is theoretically possible, he does not believe they exist. He stressed that the “danger” of entertaining this idea is that “demons like to hide,” suggesting that disguising themselves as a UFO or alien is one way that they do so.
“They don’t want us to know who they are” or “what they’re doing,” the exorcist said, “because they’re more effective when we don’t realize it.”
Disguising themselves allows demons to “manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil,” he pointed out.
“The Scriptures are very clear: ‘For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. Therefore take unto you the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day,’” Rossetti recited, quoting Ephesians 6:12-13.
“The fight we have in this world, the spiritual battle, is with the evil one,” he stressed.
“Demons can indeed break into the physical world, and at times they can be seen,” the priest said, noting that documentation and photos of demonic sightings exist.
Just two days later, the Archdiocese of Washington announced that McElroy had removed Rossetti as an exorcist for these statements, which the prelate falsely claimed “undermine” the Church’s teaching.
“Cardinal McElroy said that statements made by Monsignor Rossetti linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism,” the archdiocese’s press release stated.
Catholic teaching and aliens
Contrary to McElroy’s claims, several Catholic clerics and thinkers have posited that UFOs and so-called “aliens” are demonic in origin. Catholic philosopher and professor Daniel O’Connor has warned for years of a forthcoming alien deception.
O’Connor previously told LifeSiteNews Editor-in-Chief John-Henry Westen that the public is gradually being acclimated to the idea of aliens, like the proverbial frog slowly boiled in a pot of water, so that we may eventually be presented with a “new gospel” from “the heavens” to replace Christ’s Gospel.
He has cited 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 as an indication that demons can deceive human beings with “wonders” such as that of apparent UFOs: The lawless one comes “with all power and with pretended signs and wonders … with all wicked deception”; God sends a “strong delusion” so that people “believe what is false.” O’Connor says we may understand this to include a great end-times deception involving aliens and UFOs.
O’Connor emphasized that the Genesis creation account shows that God created the physical universe for man and earth alone: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Everything the account describes thereafter is for man on earth, with the exception of an allusion to angelic beings, some of which fell and became demons.
He has also cited several popes who have condemned the idea of alien life. For example, Pope St. Zachary, in an 8th century letter to St. Boniface regarding Virgil of Salzburg, condemned as “perverse and abominable … in opposition to God, and to his own soul’s detriment” the teaching that there is “another world and other men beneath the earth, or even the sun and moon.”
Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms this, stating that “Of all visible creatures, only man is able to know and love his Creator … he alone is called to share … in God’s own life” (CCC §355-356) and that the universe is “destined for and addressed to man.” (CCC §299)
Reactions to Rossetti’s removal
O’Connor quickly reacted to Rossetti’s removal, calling it “Outrageous. Yet completely unsurprising” in an X post.
Outrageous. Yet completely unsurprising.
Cardinal Robert McElroy just removed Monsignor Rossetti as exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, because Msgr. Rossetti–absolutely correctly–linked UFOs/ETs to the demonic.
Behold the persecution of faithful priests opposing… pic.twitter.com/tdkgaQrj4C
— Daniel O’Connor (@DSDOConnor) June 3, 2026
Msgr. Rossetti himself responded to McElroy’s action by apologizing for “any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium,” but did not explicitly repent for anything specific that he mentioned in the video. He noted that the St. Michael Center “plans to continue its ministry elsewhere.”
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