In my first post I took umbrage with Msgr. Balducci’s claim that the UFO and alien question (or reported phenomena) have nothing to do with the demonic realm. Let’s unpack that a bit.

I questioned Balducci’s claim on two grounds that may not have been clear:

(1) Since we don’t know what UFOs are (if they are in Category Six – sightings that are unexplained), then we cannot rule out hypothesized possibilities until evidence compels us to do so. For Balducci’s claim to have any weight, he has to produce coherent evidence that can convincingly demonstrate that UFOs and their alleged occupants cannot be what his church (Roman Catholic; Christianity in general) would consider demonic. This evidence would have to be put forth in light of what experiencers report and what his faith and its sacred texts say. To my knowledge, Msgr. Balducci has done none of this kind of work (if he has, it isn’t published), and so his argument is merely an argument from the authority of his office.

(2) If one actually does delve into what experiencers say about their contact or abduction experience (whether contemporary or from another historical era), one will see many points of connection between those experiences and what Balducci’s church has historically considered demonic: occult beliefs and teachings, descriptions of demonic oppression, and messages contrary to sound Catholic theology (and the theology of other Christian streams).

Thus Msgr. Balducci has a conundrum: the alignment of his claim with the witness testimony of experiencers and the theological parsing of such testimony when that testimony speaks of ideas and activities that his Church has condemned for centuries. Balducci cannot claim to be correct and his Church be wrong, else he would be subject to discipline from his Church.

One more thing. This is not to say that the Catholic Church could not err in these matters. It is only to say that (1) Balducci, as a Catholic priest, has to articulate a position that the Church would not object to for his claim to have weight with catholics; and (2) Balducci’s claim has to stand up to the historical record of how what experiencers say about UFOs and aliens matches up to historical occult groups and their teachings.

Good luck, Monsignor.