Toledo Cathedral Dean Resigns Amid “Naked Video” Uproar
A Spanish dean has resigned after a raunchy music video for a song called ‘Atheist’ was filmed in Toledo Cathedral that he was in charge of.
The dean’s superior, the Archbishop of Toledo Francisco Cerro Chaves, hit the headlines earlier this week when he was forced to apologise for a suggestive music video that was filmed at Toledo Cathedral in the city of Toledo in the Spanish region of Castile-La Mancha.
In an update, local media reported that Archbishop Cerro Chaves summoned Juan Miguel Ferrer, dean of Toledo Cathedral, to his office to call for him to step down.
The dean’s five-year tenure was due to continue until 5th November and the archbishop reportedly decided to bring the date forward to 16th October in light of the controversial music video.
Ferrer had served as dean of the cathedral since November 2016.
Last week, the archbishop apologised after a raunchy music video for a song called ‘Ateo’ (‘Atheist’) that featured a naked woman was filmed in the cathedral, prompting outrage on social media.
The footage shows two singers dancing suggestively in the cathedral as a chorus chants: “I was an atheist, but now I believe, because a miracle like you had to come down from heaven.”
One scene shows a rapper suggestively tugging on the Argentine singer’s hair while another shot shows her naked while holding his decapitated head.
The music video was directed by Anton Alvarez, 31, a Spanish rapper who is better known as C. Tangana.
The rapper also features in the music clip alongside Argentine singer-songwriter Nathy Peluso, 26.
The video was launched online on 7th October and reportedly caused outrage on social media, especially from Catholics.
Despite the presiding counsel of the cathedral attempting to defend the music video and justify its recording, the archbishop wholeheartedly rejected the clip, according to El Pais.
The archbishop said that he “deeply” regretted that the music video was shot in the cathedral and apologised to the faithful and to those who “felt justly hurt by this misuse of a sacred place”, according to Spanish online newspaper Publico.
The archbishop also said that he “was absolutely unaware of the existence of this project, its content and the final result”.
Following the backlash, the dean told local media that there is “cordiality and harmony” between him and the archbishop, but admitted there were “communication failures”” given that they both issued contradictory statements within hours of each other when the story broke. He previously argued that the video “presents the story of faith through human love”.
The official video of the music clip was shared on YouTube You Tube by C. Tangana, who has 1.9 million subscribers.
In less than a week, the video has been viewed a whopping 6.8 million times on YouTube.