The priest who joined the filming of a controversial Sabrina Carpenter music video at his church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, has been relieved of his duties. According to the Associated PressMonsignor Jamie Gigantiello was removed from his post on Monday (Nov. 18) after church officials said an investigation revealed other evidence of mismanagement.
Bishop Robert Brennan said in a statement released by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn that Gigantiello was relieved of “any role of pastoral oversight or governance” after an investigation found Gigantiello made unauthorized financial transfers to a former top aide to the mayor of New York Eric. The Adams administration, which is being investigated for corruption.
The investigation was sparked after outrage over the gory video about Carpenter's “Feather” shooting. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg, where the singer facilitates the death of several obnoxious men who try to hit on her. The final scene, filmed at the church, found Carpenter dancing around the sanctuary at the men's funerals wearing a short black dress and veil and posing with religious items at the altar, including a casket with a sign that read, “RIP B–ch.”
Gigantiello was relieved of his administrative duties last November after the video was released, with Brennan saying at the time that the parish did not “follow diocesan policy regarding filming on church property, which includes a review of the scenes and the script ».
After Gigantiello's sentencing, Carpenter said Variety that her group got “advance approval” and furthermore, “Jesus was a carpenter.” Her comments came after Gigantiello posted an apology on the Church's Facebook page, in which he said he approved the filming of the video and found nothing negative about Carpenter online, greenlighting the shoot in an effort to “further strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community.”
He also said he reviewed the video's funeral scene design and noted that the actual final scene shot “wasn't what was originally presented to me.”
In his statement announcing Gigantiello's sanction, Brennan said, “I am saddened to share that the investigations conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP revealed evidence of serious violations of diocesan policies and protocols at Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation Parish . In order to safeguard the public's trust and protect the church's funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as Parish administrator.”
Although Mroziewski will now have “full authority over the parish, Gigantiello will still be allowed to officiate with Mroziewski's approval. In addition, Brennan removed Gigantiello from his fundraising duties as development vicar for the diocese as a broader review revealed other incidents of misconduct, including an ongoing investigation into Gigantiello's use of a church credit card for “significant” personal expenses.
During a performance at Madison Square Garden in September, Carpenter appeared to reveal the “Feather” powder, just days after Adams became the first New York City mayor to be impeached while in office. “Dammit, what now?” he asked the crowd. “Do we need to talk about how I reported the Mayor?”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/sabrina-carpenter-feather-video-shoot-church-priest-relieved-duties-1235832894/
