A Catholic vicar has been sacked, and a Catholic church re-blessed after a lewd Sabrina Carpenter music video was filmed on its premises. The drama unfolded when 24-year-old Carpenter released a music video for her song “Feather” on Halloween. The video featured a scantily clad Carpenter inside and outside of the historic Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn. The church has a historically Lithuanian congregation and was established in 1863, with the current building being in use since 1870. Carpenter, a former Disney Channel alum who appeared on “Girl Meets World” and is touring with Taylor Swift, can be seen dancing provocatively on the church’s altar, which was also decorated with profane decorations. The video also depicted a scene of men killing each other as they fight over Carpenter. She then attends the funerals of the men, apparently on the church’s property, with one of the coffin’s having the words “RIP B—-” written on it. 

The video sparked outrage amongst members of the church. One member wrote, “So disappointed that the pastor allowed a music video to be made on a sacred altar. Shame on him, he should be relieved of his duties.” The Diocese of Brooklyn told Catholic News Agency (CAN) that Bishop Robert Brennan was “appalled at what was filmed at Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn.” It also stated that the parish “did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script.” The parish reportedly responded to the accusation by saying the production company in charge of the video “failed to accurately represent the video content.” However, after an investigation by the diocese, it concluded that documents given to the parish “while failing to depict the entirety of the scenes, clearly portray inappropriate behavior unsuitable for a church sanctuary.” 

As a result, Bishop Brennan relieved the parish’s vicar, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, of his administrative responsibilities, with Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski temporarily taking on those tasks. “An administrative review will immediately commence, and during this time, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello’s status as pastor will continue with all administrative oversight delegated to Bishop Mroziewski,” reported the Diocese. Bishop Brennan then performed what is called a Mass of Reparation, which involved blessing the church with holy water to cleanse it. “Through the offering of this Mass, Bishop Brennan has restored the sanctity of this church and repaired the harm,” the diocese announced.