The video opens with a shot of the sanctuary at the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Brooklyn, New York. A pastel coffin reads “RIP Bitch” and the altar is covered with a drop cloth and various bedazzled trinkets, including what appears to be a prayer candle for the Roman goddess Venus. Throughout the song, men pursuing [Sabrina] Carpenter accidentally wind up dead — and then she actively murders one herself. She ends up back in the church, where she dances provocatively in the sanctuary in a pair of sheer tights, a bikini bottom with butt cheeks hanging out, a black veil on her head and a gold cross around her neck. She leaves the church at the end of the video and exhales, as if she has just gone to a deranged version of confession.

I probably needn’t explain why it is a major scandal for a scantily-clad pop star to dance seductively in a church at all, let alone in the sanctuary and in front of the altar. But for those unfamiliar with Catholicism, the sanctuary is considered a sacred space and the altar is representative of Christ’s sacrifice and his real presence during the Mass — it is the surface that holds the consecrated body and blood of Jesus Christ during communion. We believe that Christ is wholly present in the bread and wine during the Communion Rite, so you can probably imagine how offensive it is to see someone degrade that special area for a raunchy music video.

[The diocese claims that the production company lied about the nature and purpose of their filming request. The question that raises is why they’re letting *anyone* film in the sanctuary at all, let alone without supervision. Duke raises another question too about the response to this insult to people of faith. When Rihanna insulted Muslims with her performance choices, Duke recalls, it was headline news and the public backlash forced Rihanna to apologize. Will this evince any outrage at all in the media, let alone enough to force Carpenter to apologize for her actions? — Ed]