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2 clusters · 25 sources · 3 days · First seen · Last updated

Ottumwa City Council religious invocation controversy

Overview

A meeting of the Ottumwa City Council in Iowa drew significant controversy after Matt Dalbey, a former council member and member of The Satanic Temple, delivered an invocation that included the phrase “Hail Satan.” Dalbey used the address to call for embracing the “Luciferian impulse” and rejecting “arcane doctrines,” noting that the organization uses Satan as a symbol of individual freedom and independent thought.

The invocation was permitted under a municipal policy adopted in January 2026 designed to respect a diversity of religious and non-theistic belief systems. While council member Cara Galloway had previously warned of the potential for such an event and expressed concerns regarding legal liability, city officials maintained they cannot discriminate between belief systems or review invocation content in advance.

The remarks prompted an interruption by Pastor Rick Bick of the New Life Center, who characterized the invocation as a “curse” on the city and demanded officials “reverse” it. In response to the tension, Mayor Benjamin Foote called for a 30-second moment of silence and stated that the invocation does not reflect the values or faith of the community.

Entities

Ottumwa City Council · Rick Bick · Matt Dalbey · Benjamin Foote · The Satanic Temple

Timeline

  1. [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Ottumwa City Council meeting sparks outcry over Satanic invocation

    An Ottumwa, Iowa, city council meeting drew outcry after former member Matt Dalbey opened the session with a Satanic invocation, leading to demands from local religious leaders to renounce the prayer.

  2. [POLITICS] 23 sources
    Ottumwa City Council meeting sparks controversy over Satanic invocation

    A former council member in Ottumwa, Iowa, sparked outrage by delivering a Satanic invocation at a city council meeting, permitted under a local policy designed to respect diverse belief systems.

Sources

amgreatness.com · breezyscroll.com · brevenews.com · Christiannews.net · churchleaders.com · harbingersdaily.com · infocatolica.com · infokuryr.cz · latestly.com · lifesite.net · lucianne.com · magyarszo.rs · modernity.news · nemosnewsnetwork.com · neubrandenburg.de · notthebee.com · nypost.com · offthepress.com · rairfoundation.com · rt.com · sgtreport.com · thelibertydaily.com · thenerdstash.com · thepatriotchronicles.com · wtxnews.com