‘Exorcist Files’ priest sues Catholic commentators who questioned his credentials
Father Carlos Martins, host of “The Exorcist Files,” sued Catholic commentators Jesse Romero and Kyle Clement for defamation over remarks questioning whether he is an exorcist. Martins alleges the remarks, made on three 2024 episodes of the “Jesus 911” podcast, damaged his credibility and caused losses to his book and podcast. Romero and Clement deny making false or misleading statements and maintain that Martins is not an exorcist; they also question his credentials and travel to perform exorcisms. Martins’s religious society said he was not appointed an exorcist by a particular diocese but had participated in exorcisms with the appropriate permission or at a bishop’s request.
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Father Carlos Martins, host of The Exorcist Files, is suing Catholic commentators Jesse Romero and Kyle Clement, along with the broadcaster of Romero’s former podcast, over claims that Martins was not an exorcist and lacked relevant expertise. The defendants deny making false or misleading statements and maintain that Martins is not an exorcist; the case remains pending.
Martins filed the lawsuit in November 2025 in federal court in Michigan. It concerns comments Clement and Romero made during three episodes of Jesus 911 in November and December 2024; the complaint says Clement described Martins as “not who he says he is” and as speaking about matters he did not know.
Martins alleges the comments damaged his standing as a priest and exorcist, affected sales and reception of his book, and cost his podcast advertisers and listeners. He also claims he had to cancel speaking engagements and suffered emotional and physical harm. These are allegations in the complaint, not findings by the court.
Before the podcast comments, Romero had privately asked Martins about his status as an exorcist. Martins’ religious community, the Companions of the Cross, told Romero that Martins had not been appointed an exorcist by a particular diocese, but had participated in exorcisms with the appropriate permission or at a bishop’s request.
Martins’ complaint says Romero quoted only part of that email during a November 2024 episode, omitting the statement about permission from bishops. In their September 2026 court response, the defendants acknowledged that Romero read only a portion of the email, while saying that choice reflected their belief that Martins was not an exorcist.
In August 2026, U.S. District Judge F. Kay Behm denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss, allowing the case to proceed without deciding whether defamation occurred. The judge said Romero’s statement that Martins’ religious order had said he was not an exorcist appeared to move beyond opinion: the email, the judge noted, did not say that.
The defendants’ court filing denies that they published false or misleading statements and describes Martins’ travel to perform exorcisms as improper and out of the ordinary. A scheduling conference was set for Oct. 29, 2026.
Ecclesial authority shapes discernment of charisms in ministry
Ecclesial authority does not compete with the Holy Spirit’s gifts; it serves their discernment and fruitful exercise. A charism is given for the good of the Church, not as a warrant for independent ministry or exemption from communion with its pastors. Pastors must therefore test and guide charisms—neither accepting every claim uncritically nor suppressing gifts simply because they are new or unusual.
The Church’s life includes both hierarchical gifts—gifts connected with pastoral leadership—and charismatic gifts, which the Spirit distributes freely. These are not rival models of Church. They come from the same divine source and serve the same purpose: building up the Church and advancing its mission. Those charged with leadership are responsible for attending to how other charisms are exercised, while recognizing that the Spirit gives gifts “to whomever he desires.”
This means authority is not simply an administrative check imposed on spiritual initiative from outside. It is itself a service within the Church’s spiritual life: pastors are to recognize gifts, welcome them, promote them, and accompany them. But because gifts can be exercised in disordered ways, that service includes making judgments and, when needed, setting conditions for their use. The New Testament example presented in Iuvenescit Ecclesia is Paul’s instruction on how prophecy and tongues are to be exercised in the community.
Discernment asks whether a claimed gift is genuinely from the Spirit and whether its use serves the Church’s good. That judgment matters because the faithful have a right to guidance from their pastors about both the authenticity of charisms and the trustworthiness of those who claim to bear them. The Church’s responsibility, then, is not to treat every spiritual claim as self-authenticating.
At the same time, authority is not meant to extinguish the Spirit. John Paul II, citing Lumen gentium, describes the task as testing gifts while holding fast to what is good. Pastoral judgment must therefore be discerning rather than reflexively suspicious: it should protect the community from confusion while making room for genuine gifts to flourish.
“For this reason no charism dispenses a person from reference and submission to the Pastors of the Church.”
The point is not that every particular gift requires a special permission or regulation. Iuvenescit Ecclesia distinguishes gifts that can be received and lived out without specific regulation from a “founding” or “originating” charism, which requires particular recognition so that it can be integrated into ecclesial communion and faithfully handed on. Discernment for such a new group takes time; the Church’s authority is to accompany it as it develops, rather than judge it solely on its first burst of enthusiasm.
For ecclesial groups, Iuvenescit Ecclesia identifies several signs that help pastors assess whether a charism is authentically serving the Church. It should foster holiness and charity; contribute to evangelization; remain faithful to the Catholic faith and the Church’s teaching; show real communion with the Pope and the local bishop; and respect the complementarity of other gifts rather than treating its own spirituality as the only valid one. Acceptance of trials during discernment is also included among the criteria.
These criteria make discernment more than a test of enthusiasm, apparent success, or unusual spiritual experiences. A ministry’s fruits should be considered in relation to the whole Church: Does it help people grow in holiness? Does it serve the Gospel? Is it faithful in teaching? Can it cooperate with other ministries and receive pastoral direction? The criteria do not mean that every ministry must look the same. Rather, a genuinely distinct gift should be capable of contributing to the Church’s common life without displacing its other gifts.
The discernment of a charism should neither be collapsed into the claimant’s own certainty nor turned into a contest between a ministry and its bishop. The Church’s teaching assigns pastors a real responsibility to judge and regulate the exercise of gifts, while also calling them to receive and promote authentic charisms. John Paul II accordingly describes pastoral discernment as an exercise of humble obedience to the Spirit, love for the Church’s good, and fidelity to the salvation of souls.
For those involved in ministry, this means presenting a claimed gift openly to the Church and remaining willing to be tested, guided, and corrected. For pastors, it means accompanying a ministry with care, allowing sufficient time for its character and fruits to become clearer, and distinguishing between the gift itself and any disorder or excess in its exercise. Such accompaniment respects both the freedom of the Spirit and the Church’s duty to safeguard communion.
Ultimately, ecclesial authority shapes discernment by directing charisms toward their proper end: the holiness and mission of the whole Church. It does not make pastoral approval the source of the Spirit’s gifts; it helps the Church recognize, test, and integrate those gifts so they can serve the common good. A ministry’s willingness to live in communion with its pastors is therefore not an incidental administrative matter, but one of the signs that its charism is being offered for the Church rather than claimed as a private possession.