Celebrity exorcist priest to take one-year media fast after meeting with Denver archbishop

At the urging of his archbishop, a prominent Catholic exorcist in the Denver Archdiocese is taking a one-year break from public speaking and interviews which have garnered millions of views on social media.Instead, the Rev.Chad Ripperger will use his “one-year fast” to devote himself to the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, the semi-contemplative religious community he founded and the people it serves, the archdiocese announced in a Monday statement.The decision arose from a meeting Ripperger had with Denver Archbishop James Golka, who asked the Catholic priest to consider taking the break.“Fr.

Ripperger readily agreed,” the statement said, adding that Golka is grateful for Ripperger’s “priestly service, exorcism ministry and for the generous spirit in which he received this request.”It also said they’ll revisit this arrangement together at the end of the year.Efforts to reach Ripperger through the archdiocese were not immediately successful, and the archdiocese declined to provide more details, including what led to the archbishop’s request.Ripperger’s yearlong fast comes about four months after Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, another Catholic exorcist who gained notoriety on social media, was removed by Cardinal Robert McElroy after serving as the exorcist for the Washington, DC, Archdiocese for 19 years.That decision followed a viral video Rossetti posted on social media, expressing his personal belief that many UFO sightings are demonic manifestations.Ripperger recently said that aliens are “just demons” during a nearly three-hour interview on the Shawn Ryan Show, a wide-ranging conversation that racked up about 2.8 million views.Ripperger said that famed inventor Nikola Tesla probably received messages from demons, and dismissed evolution as scientifically, theologically and philosophically problematic.Ripperger has also made appearances on other high-profile conservative media platforms, including The Tucker Carlson Show.Interest in ex...