Sabrina Carpenter's "Feather" music video has achieved a feat no other video this year has managed: getting a Catholic priest stripped of his administrative duties.
Released on October 31, 2023 to coincide with Halloween, the music video for Sabrina Carpenter's "Feather" begins with the image of a pastel blue coffin that reads "R.I.P. b*tch" and a handcrafted altar with candles and an angel doll wearing a shirt that reads “good girls go 2 heaven.”
A mourning Carpenter, clad in a black veil and sunglasses, pulls up to the church — the Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish, a Catholic church in Brooklyn, New York's Williamsburg neighborhood, to be exact — in a pink hearse. Then, the bloody break-up anthem commences.
Though the video features other various locations, like the streets of NYC and a boxing gym, it's the initial sacred setting that's garnering attention online after the Diocese of Brooklyn released a statement via the Catholic News Agency condemning the video for its "appalling" nature and announcing Rev. Monsignor Jamie J. Gigantiello, who, per the New York Times, granted Carpenter's team permission to film at the church's premises, has been stripped of his duties for allowing it to be filmed.
"The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script," the Diocese of Brooklyn reportedly said in its statement, adding that the production company "failed to accurately represent the video content."
According to the NYT's November 25 report, a Mass of Reparation was attended by approximately 50 people to "restore the sanctity of the church" and "repair the harm" caused by the filming of Carpenter's video.
In addition to these measures, Rev. Monsignor Jamie J. Gigantiello has also publicly apologized for allowing the filming to happen. "Undoubtedly, many are upset over what has transpired, no more than myself," the priest wrote in his apology, which was posted to the church's Facebook page and reshared by reporter Mark Irons in a viral X thread. “I offer my sincere apologies to our faithful parishioners for this shameful representation, which I wholeheartedly renounce. I ask that following the very example of Christ's forgiveness, you find it possible to forgive my oversight in this unfortunate matter.”
Gigantiello explained he had accepted the project "in an effort to further strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of our community and the parish" and admitted he wasn't “aware that anything provocative was occurring in the church nor were we aware that faux coffins and other funeral items would be placed in the sanctuary.”
On November 29, Sabrina Carpenter addressed the religious controversy for the first time while speaking to Variety. “We got approval in advance,” she replied when asked about the drama surrounding the video. “And Jesus was a carpenter,” she added. Well, I mean… she's not wrong.
