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THE DEVIL’S NEW PLAYGROUND
The devil works hard, but apparently artificial intelligence works harder.
Last week, Denver Archbishop James Golka asked Father Chad Ripperger, a prominent Catholic exorcist, to take a yearlong break from public speaking and interviews.
No one seems to have told his AI impersonator.
While watching YouTube over the weekend, my husband encountered a video that looked and sounded exactly like Fr. Ripperger.
In the video, the Fr. Ripperger clone warned that having mirrors facing your bed could open a demonic portal, allowing evil spirits to enter and confuse your mind while you sleep.
As a practicing Catholic and a fan of Fr. Ripperger, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, Fr. Carlos Martins, and other prominent exorcists, I was confused. I’ve watched a lot of podcasts and read a lot of books about demonic possession. None of them mentioned mirrors.
After some digging, I discovered the video came from an apparently AI-generated YouTube channel using Ripperger’s name and likeness. It had amassed thousands of subscribers and dozens of videos purporting to share his spiritual teachings.
I couldn’t find any evidence of Ripperger himself ever warning that mirrors are spiritual portals.
But guess where I did find such advice?
A website called Occult World.