How Did Sabrina Carpenter Tick Off The Catholic Church? The Pop Singer's Controversy Explained

Watching Sabrina Carpenter's video, there may not be much that strikes you as particularly "scandalous." The pop singer has a revenge fantasy against men who wronged her, ending in a scene where she dances around those men's coffins in a church. However, this was a matter of grave importance to Catholic officials, who needed to step in and lay down some punishment on those responsible for this apparent great sacrilege.

What Is Controversial About "Feather"?

To most, there's nothing all that controversial about "Feather," but a scene towards the end where Carpenter dances in a black tulle dress around the coffins of men who've wronged her is the moment in question. That scene was filmed in Brooklyn’s Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish.

When the video dropped and quickly started racking up millions of views, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which oversees Catholic churches in Brooklyn and Queens, immediately put out a statement saying they were horrified by the content that was filmed in their church. They then stripped administrative duties from the pastor who approved of the shooting of the video, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello. Giantiello later said he approved the filming of the music video after searching Carpenter online and finding nothing objectionable. Bishop Robert J. Brennan held a "Mass of Reparation" at the Church to restore the sanctity of the building and repair the harm done.

How Has The Internet And Carpenter Responded?

A sizable portion of the internet thinks the Carpenter scandal rocks. The scene in question is not particularly scandalous, nor does it show any satanic imagery. Frankly, far more sacrilegious things have been filmed in churches for the purpose of entertainment. Still, there are few things more "rock and roll" than ticking off "the man," which, whether she intended to or not, she succeeded in doing.

Carpenter herself didn't seem intent on offending, nor did she seem to think she was pulling a "fast one" on the church. As she explained in a later interview, she and her team had gotten permission to film in the church so they didn't think it would cause a problem. She also added that Jesus was a carpenter (a pun on her name), which to many was the perfect response to the drama.

It seems the drama is largely behind Carpenter while the church continues "healing" after the "damage" she caused. If anything, it's a tremendous feather in Carpenter's cap, as causing a religious panic seems to be a rite of passage for budding pop stars.

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For more information, check out the Sabrina Carpenter filming in a church controversy entry on Know Your Meme.