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Denver Archbishop Asks Exorcist to Step Back from Public Speaking

Updated 10:10 AM ET · 9:19 AM ETConfirmed

Faith Desk

In Short: Denver Archbishop James Golka has asked Father Chad Ripperger, a prominent Catholic exorcist, to take a one-year break from public speaking and interviews.

According to a statement from the Archdiocese of Denver, Ripperger will use this time to focus on his community, the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, and the people it serves.

The Archdiocese of Denver said Ripperger agreed to take a “one-year fast” after a meeting with Archbishop Golka, who suggested the break.

Golka defended his participation in a prayer event with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, citing the gathering as an opportunity to publicly pray and evangelize the faith.

The archbishop denied that the event constituted an “endorsement” of the president, noting that praying for public leaders is a long-standing Catholic practice dating back to the Apostolic Age.

Ripperger’s social media presence and engagement with his followers have been notable, with one instance involving an electric scooter that gained significant attention.

During a nearly three-hour interview on the Shawn Ryan Show, Ripperger recently said that aliens are “just demons,” a conversation that racked up about 2.8 million views.

The decision to take a break from public speaking and interviews arose from a meeting Ripperger had with Archbishop Golka, who asked the Catholic priest to consider taking the break.

The Catholic Church faces challenges with exorcists who have large online followings, as their influence can be theologically complex.

The archdiocese plans to revisit the arrangement at the end of the year.

In a letter dated March 21, 2025, Archbishop Samuel Aquila said he had “begun a thorough investigation into Father Ripperger’s works,” to be carried out by exorcists from outside the archdiocese, a medical doctor, and a psychologist.

The Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, the religious community Ripperger founded, will be the focus of his efforts during the one-year break.

Despite the Archbishop's request, Ripperger’s social media presence and engagement with his followers have been notable, with one instance involving an electric scooter that gained significant attention.

Background

What's confirmed

• During the gathering the archbishop in part prayed for the Holy Spirit to “surround our country, to protect us against any influence of evil.” The prayer event generated some backlash for what critics have argued was a politically motivated photo opportunity on the part of the White House.
• Golka of Denver has asked Father Chad Ripperger “to consider a one-year fast from public speaking and interviews,” according to an Oct. 19 statement from the Archdiocese of Denver.
• A prominent Catholic exorcist in Denver is pausing public speaking and interviews at the request of his archbishop.
• Golka blesses members of the congregations during the recessional procession at the end of the Mass of Installation for Golka as the sixth Archbishop of Denver, March 25, 2026, at the CoBank Arena at the National Western Center in Denver.
• They plan to revisit the arrangement at the end of the year.
• Photo: G Photography and Films According to a statement issued by the Archdiocese of Denver, Golka proposed a yearlong “fast” from public speaking and interviews so that the priest could devote more time to his community and the people it serves.
• (ZENIT News / Denver, 10.22.2026).- Father Chad Ripperger has spent years explaining spiritual warfare to Catholic audiences.
• The Catholic Church faces challenges with exorcists who have large online followings, as their influence can be theologically complex.
• Bishop James Golka of Colorado Springs will replace retiring Archbishop of Denver Samuel Aquila starting in March, Pope Leo XIV announced Saturday.
• “The Archbishop has asked me to take a break on public speaking,” he wrote to the outlet.
• According to a statement from the Archdiocese of Denver, Ripperger will use this time to focus on his community, the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, and the people it serves.
• Chad Ripperger agreed to take a “one-year fast” after a meeting with Denver Archbishop James Golka, who suggested the break.

What's still developing

• He has had faculties within the Archdiocese of Denver since 2017, according to a notice of appointments published by the Denver Catholic.
• A statement from the Archdiocese of Denver noted that Archbishop James Golka and other bishops prayed for President Trump in the White House, and noted "continued conversation on the sanctity of life, from conception to natural death, and the God-given dignity of every person."
• Launched in 2013, Aleteia is a free online daily news publication.
• In 2022, when Denver Mayor Michael Hancock asked archbishop Aquila about sheltering migrants at the then-vacant Little Sisters of the Poor Mullen Home facility, which could have housed 100 people, it highlighted available church properties.
• 25, his 75th birthday, after 13 years overseeing metro Denver’s more than 600,000 Catholics, 148 parishes and 31 Catholic schools.
• Denver Archbishop James Golka and over half a dozen fellow U.S.
• By that afternoon, the archdiocese’s online clergy directory listed him as “retired.” Pope Leo XIV sent Golka to Denver on February 7, promoting him from the Diocese of Colorado Springs, where Pope Francis had made him a bishop in 2021.
• However, the pop icon was spotted at the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos match at Arrowhead Stadium on the same day.
• Aquila introduced Golka, who was named bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs by Pope Francis in April 2021,during a news conference at the John Paul II Pastoral Center in Denver on Saturday morning.
• Golka found out about the appointment on Monday and is “equally excited and equally sad” about serving in Denver and leaving his community in Colorado Springs, he told the crowd.
• Golka answered several questions from the audience, including his perspective on immigration issues and the narrative that he represents a shift away from Denver’s historically conservative archdiocese.
• He described “basic beginning points” found in the faith for addressing immigration concerns.

Sources

• Denverpostlink
• Ewtnnewslink
• OSV Newslink
• Thelettersfromleolink
• Warpbeatlink
• Zenitlink
• aleteia.orglink
• Kdhnewslink
• Coloradotimesrecorderlink
• Ewtnnewslink
• Wherepeterislink
• Thecatholicheraldlink
• Ottumwacourierlink
• Richmondregisterlink
• WarpBeat — background on Denver Archbishop Asks Exorcist to Step Back from Public Speaking link