On the afternoon of October 8, Friday, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Toledo in Spain released an apology for the “improper use of a sacred place.” The statement released by the archdiocese on behalf of Archbishop Francisco Cerro Chaves responds to a music video shot in the 13th century Toledo Cathedral.

The music video, which was posted the same day as the apology, features artists C. Tangana and Nathy Peluso dancing passionately for what news outlets call a “racy music video.” The video opens with a panning shot of the cathedral followed by two priests who curiously turned to C. Tangana as he entered the cathedral. 

The next frame shows Argentinian artist Nathy Peluso dancing seductively while a priest and clergy peeks at her sheepishly from a corner. The two artists then joined together, performing a beautifully sensual bachata to the amazement of onlookers inside the cathedral.

Through the archdiocese’s statement, Archbishop Chaves asked for “the forgiveness of all the faithful, whether laypeople or priests, who have rightly felt wounded.” The archdiocese will also review their policy to “ensure that nothing similar happens again,” the archbishop added.

The cathedral’s dean, Juan Miguel Ferrer, knew about the shooting of the video and acknowledged the reaction of the Catholics. However, Ferrer insisted that the video expresses “the story of a conversion through human love,” not merely sexually inspired content.

In his statement, Ferrer urged the faithful to examine the lyrics of the song. Citing the chorus, Ferrer acknowledges that although the music used “provocative visual language,” the aim was to promote discussions with “contemporary culture while always respecting the faith of the church.”

The video has been viewed more than 5.6 million times as of the writing of this article.