A New York City priest was stripped of his duties on Monday after allowing Sabrina Carpenter to film a music video in his church.
An investigation revealed that Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello carried out other instances of mismanagement, ultimately relieving him of “any pastoral oversight or governance role” at the Williamsburg church in Brooklyn, according to Bishop Robert Brennan’s statement issued by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.
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This all started last Halloween when Carpenter released a controversial music video for her song “Feather”—part of which was filmed in the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Brooklyn. According to the diocese at the time, “The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script.”
I can almost guarantee they would not have approved of the “scenes and script” upon review. In the video, Carpenter is seen experiencing harassment by an array of men—all of whom end up being killed. At the end of the video, the singer dances throughout the church and around the men’s colorful coffins.
If you want more context, you can watch the music video for yourself below.
After a thorough investigation of Gigantiello following the video, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn found even more evidence of his mismanagement—and decided to strip the priest of his duties altogether.
“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 Parish,” Bishop Robert Brennan said in the statement released by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. “In order to safeguard the public trust, and to protect church funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the Parish.”
I wonder if the diocese feels lighter like a feather after letting Gigantiello go.
