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The head of a New York City church, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, has lost his post in the aftermath of pop star Sabrina Carpenter’s racy music video for her song Feather, filmed inside the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Brooklyn. The whole incident created much controversy and kicked off a wider inquiry that dug up several cases of mismanagement.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn said Gigantiello was removed from any pastoral oversight or governance role at the church. Bishop Robert Brennan said an independent probe, led by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, found serious violations of diocesan policies and protocols, including unauthorized financial transfers to a former top aide in New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, which is under a corruption probe.
The controversy started when Carpenter’s music video-which was released October 31, 2023-showed her arriving to the church in a pink hearse and dancing in front of the altar, in a short black dress and veil with colorful faux coffins surrounding her. The diocese indicated that proper procedures regarding filming were not followed and that the video was appalling.
Further investigation showed that Gigantiello had transferred $1.9 million of parish money into bank accounts linked to Frank Carone, a former chief of staff for Adams, without authorization. The transfers, which ranged from 2019 to 2021, were not supported by proper documentation or approvals, as required by the diocesan investment policies. Carone’s law firm returned $1 million of those funds with interest; the remainder was demanded to be paid off early without the significant interest called for in the loan notes.
Furthermore, it emerged that Gigantiello had charged heavy personal expenses to a church credit card. Investigators also learned he made surreptitious recordings of a deacon using racist and inflammatory language in private conversations in the parish office.
In response to these findings, Bishop Brennan appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as the new administrator of the parish, granting him complete authority over the church, including liturgical matters. Gigantiello will still be able to say Mass with Mroziewski’s approval.
The scandal has not gone unnoticed by Sabrina Carpenter, who joked about the situation during a concert at Madison Square Garden, making light of the controversy and what happened to Mayor Adams.
The diocese has made It clear that they are committed to complete cooperation with law enforcement in investigations that continue to ensure public trust in the handling of church funds.
