Chad Ripperger

Introduction

Fr. Chad Ripperger is a 62-year-old American Catholic priest, theologian and exorcist whose podcast appearances and social-media videos have reached millions of viewers — and who has now been asked by Denver Archbishop James Golka to step out of the media spotlight for one full year. According to an October 19, 2026 statement from the Archdiocese of Denver, Golka asked Ripperger “to consider a one-year fast from public speaking and interviews” during a meeting about his ministry, and “Fr. Ripperger readily agreed.” The arrangement will be reviewed together at the end of the year. No allegation of misconduct has been made against him; the archdiocese has declined to say what prompted the request.

Background Information

Ripperger was born in Casper, Wyoming, ordained a priest in 1997 for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, and later founded the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother — a semi-contemplative community of priests also known as the Doloran Fathers, headquartered in Keenesburg, Colorado. He has held faculties within the Archdiocese of Denver since 2017, according to a Denver Catholic appointments notice cited by OSV News. His exorcism ministry spans numerous books, in-person appearances and recordings distributed through his sensustraditionis.org website, and he became a fixture of conservative Catholic media, appearing on The Tucker Carlson Show and the Shawn Ryan Show. Wikipedia notes his commentary on spiritual warfare and mental health “has drawn both supporters and critics.”

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Restricted, not charged. No misconduct, abuse or doctrinal violation has been alleged. The archdiocese declined to say what led to the request or whether it is disciplinary, and Ripperger remains a priest in good standing; the restriction covers his public speaking and interviews.

The archdiocese’s statement said the meeting with Golka was held “to discuss his ministry and his community,” that the time will let Ripperger “devote himself to the Society and to the people it serves,” and that the archbishop is “grateful for Fr. Ripperger’s priestly service, exorcism ministry, and for the generous spirit in which he received this request.” The fast comes about four months after Cardinal Robert McElroy removed Msgr. Stephen Rossetti — another celebrity exorcist — as an exorcist for the Archdiocese of Washington following a viral video in which Rossetti called UFO sightings demonic manifestations; McElroy later told Catholic News Service the decision reflected his “major objection” to high-profile exorcists generally, a role he called traditionally “a very private” and “sacred one.” The NY Post drew the direct line: Ripperger had just told the Shawn Ryan Show that aliens are “just demons,” speculated that Nikola Tesla received messages from demons, and dismissed evolution as scientifically, theologically and philosophically problematic — in a nearly three-hour interview that racked up about 2.8 million views. The day before the archdiocese’s statement, Ripperger told the traditionalist site Sensus Fidelium about invoking the name of Jesus to counter alien abductions.

The practical effect began immediately: LifeSiteNews reported that Ripperger canceled several scheduled speaking engagements, including the outlet’s own 30th-anniversary gala set for April 2027. EWTN noted the archdiocese’s statement “did not clarify whether the request would affect any of his other priestly duties, or whether it was disciplinary in nature.” Efforts to reach Ripperger through the archdiocese were unsuccessful, and the archdiocese declined to provide more details.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The removal of a priest with Ripperger’s audience rippled through Catholic media within a day, with coverage framed around the unresolved question of what the archbishop wanted him to stop doing. Theologian Massimo Faggioli of Villanova University told the NY Post that bishops find celebrity priests “a delicate matter”: “There is no canon law that is clear on this… (The bishops) know that the online clergy have a following they can’t afford to alienate.” He added that bishops “embody a church that might be boring, but reliable,” and warned it is “theologically dangerous” for online Catholic personalities to hold an influence “that can be easily monetized.” The archdiocese, for its part, asked the faithful “to join us in praying for Fr. Ripperger and for the Society.”

Current Status

As of October 21, 2026, Ripperger is in the one-year fast from public speaking and interviews, with a joint review of the arrangement planned at the year’s end. The archdiocese confirmed to OSV News that he “remains a priest in good standing” within its territory; no charges, canonical penalties or allegations of wrongdoing have been reported by any outlet. Whether the fast touches his sacramental and exorcism duties within the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother has not been specified, and both OSV News and the NY Post reported that Ripperger himself has not commented.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Ripperger is the second prominent Catholic exorcist in four months to be pulled back from public media by his bishop, and the parallel with Rossetti’s removal has turned his media fast into a test case for how the Church governs clergy who become influencers. For a priest whose books, recordings and podcast appearances formed a media footprint reaching millions, a yearlong silence removes his voice from exactly the platforms that built his following. His Doloran Fathers community in Keenesburg continues, and if the year-end review restores his public ministry, the episode will still stand as the moment his archbishop decided that exorcism, in his diocese, should not be a media franchise.

Sources

“Denver exorcist priest Chad Ripperger taking one year media fast after meeting with archbishop” — New York Post: source
“Denver archbishop asks prominent exorcist to step out of media spotlight for 1 year” — OSV News: source
“Denver archbishop asks prominent exorcist to step out of media spotlight for 1 year” — National Catholic Reporter: source
“Exorcist Father Ripperger agrees to 1-year ‘fast’ from public speaking” — EWTN News: source
“Chad Ripperger” — Wikipedia: source
“Celebrity exorcist priest to take one-year ‘media fast’ after meeting with Denver archbishop” — New York Post on X: source