New York priest who had Sabrina Carpenter filmed in church, stripped of duties

The priest at a New York City church where Sabrina Carpenter filmed her music video for “Feather” was relieved of his duties this week after church officials said an investigation revealed other cases of mismanagement.

Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello was removed from “any pastoral oversight or administrative role” at Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Williamsburg, according to a statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.

“I am saddened to report that investigations conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP have revealed evidence of serious violations of diocesan policies and protocols at Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation Parish,” Bishop said Robert Brennan in the statement. “To safeguard the public’s trust and protect the church’s funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the parish.”

Gigantiello first came under fire last November after Carpenter released the video for “Feather,” which she filmed partially at the Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The priest was demoted for allowing Carpenter to film there, with the diocese confirming: “The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding filming on church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script.”

Gigantiello responded at the time by saying he was upset by the video and offered “sincere apologies” to the church and its parishioners. He said he agreed that the video was filmed to “strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community and the parish.”

A further investigation was launched after the music video controversy inadvertently exposed Gigantiello making unauthorized financial transfers to Frank Carone, a former aide to New York Mayor Eric Adams who is currently under federal investigation on corruption charges after he was indicted in September.

Brennan said the internal church investigation revealed other instances of administrative impropriety, including Gigantiello’s use of a church credit card for “substantial” personal expenses. He also transferred $1.9 million in parish funds to bank accounts affiliated with Carone. Carone’s law firm returned $1 million of the money, along with about 9 percent interest, but Brennan said Gigantiello had not sought prior approval for the transactions and had not properly documented them.

Earlier this fall, federal investigators subpoenaed the church over “business dealings” between Gigantiello and Carone. At the time, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn said it was “fully prepared to cooperate with law enforcement in all investigations, including conduct at individual parishes or involving priests.”

In September, Carpenter acknowledged her role in Adams’ indictment during a show at Madison Square Garden. Speaking to the audience, Carpenter nodded to the speculation about her video and said, “Damn, what now? Should we talk about how I sued the mayor, or…’

Adams was indicted on federal criminal charges, becoming the first New York City mayor to be charged with criminal offenses while in office. He was charged with a total of five charges: bribery; soliciting a contribution by an alien (two counts); wire fraud; and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals.