5 highlights from Shawn Ryan's interview with exorcist about spiritual warfare: 'Be willing to suffer'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Monday, July 27, 2026

Prominent podcast host and former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan dropped his second interview last week with Father Chad Ripperger, a Roman Catholic exorcist with the Archdiocese of Denver, during which the two engaged in a wide-ranging, three-hour conversation.

The interview focused heavily on spiritual warfare, diabolical influence, Thomistic angelology, UFO disclosure, the corruption of society and the nature of sacrifice in resisting evil.

Ryan, whose podcast is the third-most popular on Spotify, opened by noting his ongoing shift in perspective. He explained that while he originally intended a political critique of politicians who overstate their Catholic allegiance, he abandoned it upon concluding the real conflict is spiritual and transcends politics.

"The battle maybe isn't over the country, not even over the world. It's over our souls and over our mind," he said, adding that he has become convinced that those who wield authority are intent on harnessing the power of human sacrifice through war and the destructive effects of sexual immorality.

Ripperger agreed, noting he observed about a decade ago that "this is no longer a battle of ideas" and that the U.S. is engaged in "a battle of good and evil at this point."

"You can shuffle the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, but it's still going to go down if people don't address this in a spiritual manner," he said.

Here are five highlights from their conversation.