Staff Reports
The Catholic Church and a growing chorus of priests are sounding an alarm: requests for exorcisms and deliverance ministry are up, and the number of ordained priests trained to confront demonic activity in the United States is still small. Father Chad Ripperger, speaking for priests who deal with these cases, says the nation has roughly 150 trained exorcists — a figure that has become the rallying cry for bishops and for Vatican officials who met with exorcism leaders to discuss the spike in demand. This is not a spooky sidebar; it is a sign that spiritual questions are moving back into the center of public life.
Rising demand, Vatican attention, and a number to watch
Priests on the front lines report a real rise in calls for help. Father Ripperger’s warning — “The demons are empowered as more and more people commit evil deeds” — reflects what many diocesan exorcists describe as a surge in requests. CNN and other outlets found that many dioceses are seeing more inquiries, and the International Association of Exorcists even briefed Pope Leo XIV about the need for more trained ministers. The IAE has urged every diocese to have at least one exorcist on staff, while specialized institutes and workshops have ramped up training to help bishops meet the demand. At the same time, Church leaders stress that medical and psychiatric screening is required before any formal rite, and most cases end up being non-possession issues handled pastorally or referred to mental-health professionals.
Institutional caution amid public spectacle
Not everyone wants exorcism turned into a reality show. Dioceses are walking a fine line between pastoral care and public sensationalism. Cardinal Robert McElroy removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti from exorcism duties after Rossetti publicly tied UFOs and similar phenomena to demonic activity, showing how bishops are policing the message. That caution matters. The Church is expanding training but also insisting on careful protocols so that vulnerable people aren’t exploited and psychological illness isn’t mistaken for spiritual crisis. This balance is sensible — and necessary — even if it makes the tabloids less entertaining.
Why conservatives should care — and what to do about it
Here’s the blunt take: a society that shrugs at sin and sidelines religious truth will invite deeper troubles. Social media and pop culture have normalized occult themes and made spiritual confusion mainstream. If demand for deliverance and exorcism is real, it’s a symptom of a deeper moral and spiritual vacuum. Conservatives who care about faith, family, and public order should push for stronger parish formation, support for priests, and effective cooperation with mental-health professionals. Translation: train more sensible exorcists, fund pastoral care, and stop pretending spiritual reality has no place in public life. And no, we don’t need Congress holding hearings about demons — but diocesan chancelleries do need resources and sober leadership.
At bottom, this episode is a reminder that faith still matters — whether you take the rite literally or see it as a metaphor for the fight against evil tendencies. The headlines about “more exorcists needed” are not theatre; they are a call for pastoral seriousness and cultural wakefulness. Bishops, pastors, and everyday churchgoers should treat the rise in requests as a prompt to pray, to train, and to restore moral clarity in communities that badly need it. If nothing else, it’s a sign the spiritual battlefield is real — and somebody had better know how to show up and fight smart.
