A prominent Catholic exorcist based in the Denver Archdiocese is stepping away from public speaking and media interviews for twelve months, following a request from his church superior. The priest had built a substantial public profile through speaking engagements and interviews that drew millions of views on social media.
The archdiocese announced the hiatus in a Monday statement, calling it a "one-year fast," during which the priest will devote himself to the semi-contemplative religious community he founded, the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, and those it serves. The break followed a meeting between the priest and Denver Archbishop James Golka, who raised the idea and asked him to consider it. Golka had previously led the Colorado Springs diocese, a post he held from 2021 before being elevated to his current role earlier this year.
The archdiocese's statement said the priest "readily agreed," and noted that Golka is grateful for his "priestly service, exorcism ministry and for the generous spirit in which he received this request." The statement added that the two will revisit the situation together once the year has elapsed. The archdiocese declined to elaborate further, including on what specifically prompted Golka to make the request.
Among the priest's recent appearances was an extended interview on the Shawn Ryan Show — running close to three hours and accumulating around 2.8 million views — in which he declared that aliens are "just demons" and suggested that inventor Nikola Tesla likely received messages from demonic sources. He also characterized evolution as flawed on scientific, theological, and philosophical grounds. He had also appeared on other prominent conservative media outlets, among them The Tucker Carlson Show.
The yearlong hiatus arrives roughly four months after a different Catholic exorcist, who had served the Washington, D.C., Archdiocese for nineteen years, was removed by Cardinal Robert McElroy following a viral video in which he expressed the view that UFO sightings are frequently demonic in origin. The two cases together reflect mounting friction between church leadership and clergy who have cultivated independent online audiences.
A theology professor at Villanova University observed that supervising exorcists who command large internet followings presents real difficulties for bishops, partly because no clear canon law governs the situation. Bishops, he said, recognize that online clergy attract followers they risk offending, and that the church has yet to develop a solid understanding of what it means for the institution to exist on the internet.
The professor also cautioned that it can become theologically risky when online Catholic figures accumulate influence that is easily monetized. He noted that in Catholicism the identity of the priest administering sacraments should not matter, but that concentrating devotion around "the charisma of one person or a few people" is "problematic."
Whether the priest will return to public media work remains unresolved, with the archdiocese indicating only that Golka and the priest plan to confer again at year's end.