To the shock and surprise of many in the conciliar conservative establishment, news broke on October 19 that celebrity exorcist and house trad favorite Fr. Chad Ripperger was officially silenced by his ordinary James Golka.
In its official announcement, the Archdiocese of Denver claimed that Golka had “asked” Ripperger to “consider” a “one-year fast,” language peculiarly reminiscent of the old mob adage, “make him an offer you can’t refuse.” The notice also stated that the exorcist “readily agreed” to the proposition, though commentator Timothy Gordon has rejected that characterization.
Also according to the statement, Golka made his “request” when he recently met with Ripperger to discuss his ministry and the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, also known as the Doloran Fathers, which Ripperger founded in 2012.
Ripperger, 62, is one of the most recognizable voices in the conservative American Catholic sphere. His books, lectures, and appearances on major podcasts, including those hosted by Tucker Carlson and Shawn Ryan, have — at least superficially —introduced millions of viewers to Catholic teaching on spiritual warfare, exorcisms, and the supernatural. This does not diminish the fact, however, that a lot of what he has promoted has been outlandish, self-aggrandizing, and harmful to the integrity of Catholic tradition.
According to LifeSiteNews, which cited private communications with Ripperger, Golka’s restrictions have already resulted in canceled speaking engagements, including his scheduled appearance at LifeSite’s anniversary gala in April 2027. The priest reportedly declined to even provide a recorded or written substitute.
Mysteriously, the archdiocese has announced no finding of doctrinal error, misconduct, or canonical offence and has confirmed that Ripperger remains a priest in good standing. Gordon has since released videos on social media arguing that he was canceled for what he said about feminism and patriarchy in a Candace Owens documentary.
Another casualty of the conservative purge?
Despite many laymen in the synodal institution already trying to downplay the persecutory undertones of the event, it does seem as though Ripperger might be the latest victim of a conservative purge.
With the excommunication of the SSPX and its faithful having removed the semi-traditionalist thorn from its side, the Conciliar Church has sporadically been getting rid of even remotely Catholic voices.
Just this past year, Austrian priest Fr. Edmund Waldstein came under a pressure campaign for his writings on integralism and the death penalty. His personal website has since been taken down and he has been essentially forced into exile and “further studies” in Rome.
Another staple of the conservative establishment was Bishop Joseph Strickland, who was removed from leadership of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, by Francis in November 2023. Strickland apparently became too big for his britches when his criticism of some aspects of the Modernist Church started attracting international attention.
Prior to him, Fr. James Altman, the Wisconsin priest whose political and religious commentary was also contrary to the official “company line,” was removed from ministry by La Crosse Bishop William Patrick Callahan in 2021.
The Dispatch
No doubt recent remarks made by Ripperger on various podcasts would have ruffled the feathers of the same authorities that removed Waldstein, Altman, and Strickland.
Synodal Church takes a leaf out of the Communist playbook
Golka’s use of euphemistic language was disturbingly reminiscent of the word games Communists employed during the heyday of the Soviet Union.
Golka did not publicly describe Ripperger’s withdrawal as a suspension, prohibition, or silencing, but instead used far more spiritually attractive terms such as a one year “fast,” “asked to consider” and “readily agreed.” While fasting is a voluntary act, it is highly doubtful that Ripperger was left with any choice on the matter.
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Under Stalin, the deportation and dispossession of millions of peasants was presented through bureaucratic expressions such as “dekulakization” and “special resettlement.” Families forcibly removed from their homes became “special settlers,” while coercive agricultural policies were described as “socialist reconstruction.”
During the catastrophic Soviet famines, official propaganda spoke of “difficulties in grain procurement” rather than acknowledging the human disaster unfolding in the countryside.
Will the house Trads learn this time?
The most important question that needs to be asked following this persecution by the tyrants in Rome is whether the other shoe will finally drop for those who insist that the traditional faith can survive by mere permission as a side show in the conciliar circus.
Men like Dr. Peter Kwasniewski and Michael Matt continue to advance the delusional proposition that the modernist revolution can be rectified by somehow recovering it “from within.” Not only is this idea potentially dangerous to souls, it also does not reconcile with reality.
Not a week goes by without a report of some development that indicates every hint of Catholicism is being removed from the Synodal Church. Latin Masses are suppressed, top prelates are explaining that Leo XIV is not going to reinstate Summorum Pontificum, heterodox bishops are appointed at an alarming rate, and now even conservative voices are silenced.
It is becoming clearer by the day, for those who are willing to see, that the Synodal Church is busy redefining its identity and unity in terms of its opposition to traditional Catholicism.
