Sabrina Carpenter has reacted to the news that a New York priest was disciplined after permitting the pop star to film her newest music video inside his church.
The former Disney Channel star, 24, filmed parts of the music video for her song “Feather” at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Annunciation Parish, a Roman Catholic Church within the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn.
In the video, several men fight over Carpenter and eventually kill one another. Their pastel-coloured coffins are displayed upright within the church, while Carpenter sings and dances in a brief black dress.
Shortly after the video was released last month on YouTube, pastor Monsignor Jamie J Gigantiello was stripped of his administrative duties for failing to follow policy on allowing filming on church property.
The Diocese of Brooklyn said that it was “appalled at what was filmed” in a press release to the Catholic News Agency.
Speaking to Variety in a latest interview, the Girl Meets World alum responded to the controversy, saying that she had received “approval prematurely” to film on the church, before adding: “And Jesus was a carpenter.”
In a Facebook post shared on 6 November, Gigantiello apologised to parishioners, writing: “Undoubtedly many are upset over what has transpired. No greater than myself.”
He explained that a neighborhood video crew had approached him in September about filming a music video for Carpenter on the church, and that his online research into the singer “didn’t reveal anything questionable”. He said he approved filming as a part of an “effort to further strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a big a part of this community”.
Although he gave his permission for filming to happen, Gigantiello maintained that “the parish staff and I weren’t aware that anything provocative was occurring within the church nor were we aware that faux coffins and other funeral items could be placed within the sanctuary. Most of the video was alleged to be filmed outside, near the church, which it was”.
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The $5,000 the parish received for allowing the video to be filmed will likely be donated to Bridge to Life, Gigantiello said.
“After much prayer and reflection over the previous few days, I even have come to the realisation that this possibly God’s way of calling me to reflect on my great variety of responsibilities to be able to discern His will,” he concluded.
