Bishop performs Mass of reparation on church following lewd Sabrina Carpenter video, demotes priest
The Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn performed a Mass of reparation on Saturday to cleanse a historic church in Williamsburg that was the setting of a lewd, violent music video by pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
Bishop Robert Brennan also removed Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello from his position of administrative oversight over Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish, the diocese said in a statement obtained by The Christian Post.
"Through the offering of this Mass, Bishop Brennan has restored the sanctity of this church and repaired the harm," the diocese said, adding that the sanctuary of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church had been "desecrated" by the filming of Carpenter's video.
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The video "Feather," which as of Monday has amassed more than 4.5 million views since being uploaded on Halloween, depicts a scantily clad Carpenter surrounded by coffins and dancing in front of the altar, which was adorned with a bottle of liquid marked "RIP," a doll that says "Good Girls Go 2 Heaven," and a book titled "Tampons Should Be Free."
One of the coffins is emblazoned with "RIP B—" beneath a cross.
Carpenter also prances provocatively through the nave in between the pews during the video, which features several men dying gory deaths in a manner reminiscent of slasher horror films.
Carpenter's video stoked outrage on social media, with some taking her to task for a video they deemed to be "disrespectful and offensive." Brennan said last week that he was "appalled" that such content was permitted to be filmed in the sanctuary of the 19th century church.
The parish reportedly maintained to the diocese that the production company had been misleading about the content of the video they intended to film, but the diocese said Saturday that "a review of the documents presented to the parish in advance of the production, while failing to depict the entirety of the scenes, clearly portray inappropriate behavior unsuitable for a church sanctuary."
Gigantiello's tenure as administrator of the parish concluded as of last Friday, and Brennan appointed Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski as his temporary replacement, the diocese also said.
"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," the diocese continued.
A spokesperson for the diocese said that Brennan decided to remove Gigantiello from his role as vicar for development for the diocese “following the filming of the music video,” according to Catholic News Agency.
Monsignor Joseph Grimaldi, who serves as vicar general of the Diocese of Brooklyn, assisted Brennan in blessing the church with holy water during the Mass of Reparation, the diocese said.
After stripping the altar in response to the desecration, Father Michele Vricella and Deacon Michael Chirichella helped Grimaldi to prepare it.
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church is a historically Lithuanian Catholic congregation established in 1863. The congregation has worshipped in its present building since 1870, according to the American Guild of Organists.
The church, which has hosted Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausede and other Lithuanian leaders, offers New York City's only Sunday Mass in Lithuanian, according to the diocesan newspaper The Tablet.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to [email protected]
