A New York bishop recently took action against a parish that allowed the filming of a controversial music video within a century-old Brooklyn church.
In a statement released on Thursday, Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan condemned pop singer Sabrina Carpenter’s latest music video "Feather," which was filmed at the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. The video features Carpenter in a scantily-clad black dress as several men kill each other over her. It also shows her attending their funerals at the church with candy-colored coffins, one including the inscription "RIP B*tch."
Brennan was "appalled" at the video and additionally criticized the local parish for failing to prevent its filming based on its policies.
Bishop Robert Brennan, left, performed a Mass of Reparation a few days later to re-sanctify the church. (John Quaglione/DeSales Media.)
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"The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script," the statement read.
While the parish initially claimed that the video’s production company "failed to accurately represent the video content," an investigation into the matter 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, Brennan announced that the parish’s vicar, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, was relieved of his position and temporarily replaced with Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski, who took over all administrative responsibilities.
John Notaro, executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Brooklyn and Queens and Futures in Education, has also taken over Gigantiello’s administrative responsibilities for those respective organizations. Gigantiello, however, will still remain in the church as a pastor.
Following the announcement, Brennan and Monsignor Joseph Grimaldi celebrated a Mass of Reparation where the bishop blessed the altar with holy water.
"Through the offering of this Mass, Bishop Brennan has restored the sanctity of this church and repaired the harm," the diocese said in a statement.
Since its release on Tuesday, the "Feather" music video has since garnered more than 3 million views.
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish was originally established in 1863 and primarily became a home for Lithuanian Americans. Reports have said that the parish is the only one that offers a weekly Sunday Mass entirely in Lithuanian.
A church parish came under investigation after the release of Sabrina Carpenter's music video "Feathers" (Getty Images/Google Earth)
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