By Tim Binnall
A priest who had served as the chief exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington has been removed from the position after he posted a video suggesting that UFOs are demons in disguise. The curious controversy reportedly began last Friday when Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti took to social media to muse about the growing interest in unidentified aerial phenomena. In the since-removed video, the priest cautioned that "there's a danger" surrounding UFOs because they may be sinister in nature rather than benign otherworldly visitors. "It's my personal belief," the exorcist declared, "that probably many, if not most, of these UFO sightings are, in fact, demons."
The supernatural minions of Satan "like to hide," Rossetti explained, warning that "they don't want us to know what they're doing because they're more effective when we don't realize it. And they can kind of get into your head and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil." To that end, he recalled ministering exorcisms to troubled individuals who found themselves under the spell of the devil after dabbling in the occult, and instances wherein sinister forces manifested themselves in the physical realm. The exorcist concluded his counsel by urging viewers to stay on the proverbial straight and narrow by following the rules and teachings of the church, which is "not trying to control you, they're trying to keep you safe from the evil one."
Alas, Rossetti's words of warning were not well received by his superiors, as he was subsequently reprimanded for the video this week. In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Archdiocese of Washington indicated that Rossetti had been relieved of his duties as chief exorcist, a position he had held for nearly 20 years. The reasoning for the decision was that the priest's comments in the video "gravely undermine the Church's very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism." For his part, Rossetti posted his own statement online, saying he was "saddened by the decision" and requesting "forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church's Magisterium."
As UFOs continue to occupy a prominent place in the zeitgeist with no resolution to the mystery of what is behind the phenomenon, there are likely to be further differences of opinion within religious organizations and other powerful institutions, including the federal government, regarding the enigma. One can only hope that such debates will be healthy discourses rather than deleterious disputes that create schisms in the pillars of society, since, if Rossetti is correct in his estimation of the situation, that may be precisely what the demons in disguise may be trying to cause. What do you think of the controversy surrounding the exorcist's comments? Weigh in with your thoughts at the C2C Facebook page.