In a move that has celestial beings everywhere breathing a sigh of relief, the Catholic archbishop of Washington DC has officially parted ways with a priest who suggested that UFO sightings were the handiwork of demons. Cardinal Robert McElroy made the announcement on Wednesday, also cutting ties with the St Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, the non-profit helmed by Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.

The cardinal's reasoning? Rossetti's comments 'linking UFOs to demonic presence' and the center's 'recent use of social media' were, in his words, 'gravely undermining the Church's very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.' Because nothing says 'precise teaching' like a priest with 148,000 Instagram followers speculating about extraterrestrial evil.

In a video posted on May 29, Rossetti warned about the dangers of UFO sightings, saying, 'As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide... They can kind of get into your head, you know, and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil.' He then dropped the bombshell: 'It's my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons.'

Rossetti, ever the diplomat, noted that one could be a good Catholic and believe in alien life, though he personally doesn't. The archdiocese apparently disagreed with his cosmic demonology, leading to his removal.

In a statement on the St Michael Center's website, Rossetti expressed sadness over the decision and asked for forgiveness 'for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church's Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on 'aliens and the demonic'.' He pledged obedience, which is probably a good look after getting fired.

Rossetti, a psychologist and exorcist, has built a following with his center specializing in spiritual healing for troubled priests. In 2023, he noted a growing appetite for info on demonic possession and exorcism. Apparently, the appetite for demonic UFOs was a bit too much for the Church to stomach.