Controversy erupts, Sabrina Carpenter's music video sparks church backlash

Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter’s music video for “Feather,” featuring scenes shot in a Roman Catholic church in Brooklyn, caused controversy leading to the pastor being stripped of administrative duties.

The video, released on Oct. 31, depicts Carpenter in scenarios with men behaving badly, ultimately dancing in Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn criticized the lack of proper filming procedures and expressed dismay.

Subsequently, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, the church pastor, had administrative duties revoked, and Bishop Robert Brennan held a Mass of Reparation to restore the church’s sanctity. Gigantiello apologized, stating he allowed filming to strengthen bonds with the creative community and was unaware of any provocative actions.

Carpenter, known for her Disney Channel background, has faced scrutiny for the video, which has garnered 11 million views on YouTube.

The Associated Press reports:

Carpenter, who as a youth appeared on the Disney Channel, released the video for “Feather” on Oct. 31; in it, she’s in several scenarios with men who behave badly, like taking a nonconsensual photo of her body, and then die in grisly ways. At the end, Carpenter, 24, is filmed dancing in the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, wearing a short tulle dress and a black veil.

The day after its release, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which oversees the Catholic churches in Brooklyn and Queens, issued a statement saying that proper procedures around allowing filming had not been followed and it was “appalled.”

A few days later, the diocese stripped administrative duties away from the church pastor, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, and ended his stint as vicar of development for the diocese.

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In a post on Facebook following those actions asking for the church community’s forgiveness, Gigantiello said a film crew had come to them in September, and that he allowed filming after not finding anything untoward in a search of the participants. He said he had agreed as an “effort to further strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community.”

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