Sabrina Carpenter’s music video stirred religious controversy as a Catholic priest was punished for letting her film inside a Brooklyn church.
The release of the pop star’s “Feather” music video on Oct. 31 quickly prompted complaints from the Catholic community on social media, leading to the removal of the church’s pastor, Monsignor Jamie J. Gigantiello, from administrative duties for allowing filming on church property against policy, as the New York Times first reported.
In the video, which was shot at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, Carpenter is seen dancing around the altar in a very short black dress, among the coffins of fictional men who died fighting for her.
The altar is adorned with cloths, candles, statutes, and a vase labeled “RIP,” while the tabernacle is hidden.
According to the Catholic News Agency, Gigantiello gave the production crew permission to shoot the video, but then the Diocese of Brooklyn stated the parish “did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script.”
