Sabrina Carpenter (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Phillip Mansfield CC BY 3.0 DEED)
Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Brooklyn has been relieved of his administrative duties after he allowed a scantily dressed pop star to film a lewd video inside his church.
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) is reporting on incident which occurred on October 31 when the singer former Disney star, Sabrina Carpenter, recorded a music video of the song, “Feather” with scenes shot both inside and outside of the church. At one point, the scantily dressed Carpenter is seen without pants before an altar full of profane decorations with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the background. Several men are depicted sexually harassing the singer, then fighting over her until they kill each other. A mock funeral for the men takes place in the church after which Carpenter drives away in a pink hearse. The video was launched on YouTube and drew millions of viewers.
The Diocese of Brooklyn told CNA on November 2 that Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan was “appalled at what was filmed at Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn…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 told the diocese that the production company “failed to accurately represent the video content.”
However, after investigating the matter, the diocese found that 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.”
Bishop Brennan acted immediately by removing Msgr. Gigantiello as pastor and appointing Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski as the temporary administrator of Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish.”
According to the diocese, Mroziewski will assume “all administrative oversight” of the parish pending an administrative review that “will immediately commence,” the statement said.
In addition, on the morning of November 4, Bishop Brennan celebrated a Mass of reparation at the church for the desecration that occurred there during the video.
In a statement to Fox News, the diocese said: “Through the offering of this Mass, Bishop Brennan has restored the sanctity of this church and repaired the harm.”
Let us keep all of those people involved in this incident in our prayers.
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