Sabrina Carpenter believes that if Jesus Christ came back right now, he’d be a “Feather” stan, too.
Carpenter accidentally found herself at odds with the Catholic Church after the Diocese of Brooklyn claimed it was “appalled” with the “violent and sexually provocative” music video shot inside the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in New York — so much so, that it demoted the priest who let it happen.
The video, which dropped on Halloween, sees Carpenter dancing in a super sexy black lace dress and veil on the church’s altar while surrounded by pastel-colored coffins.
“The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script,” read a statement from the diocese to Catholic News Agency at the time.
Well, Carpenter has now responded to the church drama. And her answer was as cheeky as the lyrics to “Feather” and her outros to “Nonsense.”
“We got approval in advance,” the singer told Variety, simply. “And Jesus was a carpenter.”
And technically, she’s right. Mark 6:3 in the Bible reads: “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?”
After the video was posted on Halloween, Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, the priest who signed off on the filming, was relieved of his duties as vicar of development, though he remained a pastor of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish. (In a few words, he was demoted.)
In a statement, he said he was upset by the video, and offered “sincere apologies” to the church and its parishioners, saying that he had agreed to allow the video to be filmed to “strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community and the parish.” He claims he was misled about its content. (Has he even streamed Emails I Can’t Send???)
On Nov. 6, the Brooklyn bishop even celebrated a “Mass of Reparation” to cleanse the church after it was “used in a violent and sexually provocative music video.”
“Through the offering of this Mass, Bishop Brennan has restored the sanctity of this church and repaired the harm,” read a Diocese statement after the service.
Are religious leaders up in arms about “sexually provocative” videos in the year of our Lord 2023? Pop music is so back. And I’m sure Madonna is proud. Alexa, play “Like a Prayer.”