Another controversy follows a New York priest, who allowed Sabrina Carpenter to shoot provocative scenes for a music video inside his church, as he has been accused of mismanagement, which led to him being stripped of his duties.
In a statement released by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, it was said that Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello was relieved of “any pastoral oversight or governance role at the church” after an investigation was launched last year when Gigantiello permitted Carpenter to film a music video for her hit song “Feather.”
According to Bishop Robert Brennan, aside from the music video that left a lot of people “appalled,” the investigation also shed light on other issues, including unauthorized financial transfers to a former staff member of NYC Mayor Eric Adam, who is being investigated on charges of corruption.
“I am saddened to share that investigations conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP have uncovered evidence of serious violations of Diocesan policies and protocols at Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation of Parish,” Brennan said, adding that Gigantiello will be replaced by Bishop Witold Mroziewski as the church’s administrator.
Though relieved of his administrative duties and removed from fundraising duties as vicar of development for the diocese, Gigantiello will still be allowed to say Mass with Mroziewksi’s approval.
The investigation was prompted following the public outrage over Carpenter’s “Feather” music video, which was released on October 31, 2023, just in time for Halloween.
One of the scenes was filmed inside Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation of Parish in Williamsburg, Brooklyn where the pop star can be seen dancing around the church at the funeral of men who attempted to hit on her but ended up being dead. Donning a short black dress and veil, the singer also posed in front of the church’s altar with a faux coffin with a sign that reads, “RIP, b*tch.”
Following the release of the music video, Gigantiello was relieved of his administrative duties, with church officials saying that proper procedures for filming the “Feather” video had not been followed.
Shortly after, Gigantiello wrote an apology letter to parishioners, stating that he gave the green light to shoot the video to “further strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community and the parish.”
He then later on explained that he wasn’t aware that provocative scenes would be filmed inside his church and that the final scene in the video “was not what was initially presented” to Gigantiello.
Following Gigantiello’s sanction, Carpenter told Variety in an interview that she and her team got approval in advance to film the music video, cheekily adding that “Jesus was a carpenter.”
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