--- title: "Iowa Council Meeting Opens With Satanic Prayer" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/iowa-council-meeting-opens-with-satanic-prayer" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/iowa-council-meeting-opens-with-satanic-prayer" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/iowa-council-meeting-opens-with-satanic-prayer.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/iowa-council-meeting-opens-with-satanic-prayer" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-08T01:05:34.241Z" source_reported: "2026-10-08T00:06:00.000Z" updated: "2026-10-08T01:05:34.241Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 35 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-08T02:15:08.337152+00:00" --- # Iowa Council Meeting Opens With Satanic Prayer *A former council member's invocation prompts outrage and a call to reverse a perceived curse.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Named council members, mayor and pastor plus NY Post’s original report raise trust to 60. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Quotes, context and clear facts earn a 95 critic score. - Hype 35 of 100, lower is better. Headline’s dramatic language yields a mild 35 hype rating. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A former Ottumwa City Council member, Matt Dalbey, read a satanic prayer at the start of a council meeting. - The prayer included the phrase "Hail Satan" and invoked "Dear dark father." - Pastor Rick Bick demanded the council "reverse this curse that was put on our city." - Mayor Benjamin Foote responded by ordering 30 seconds of silence for reflection. A meeting of the Ottumwa City Council in Iowa began with a prayer that included satanic references. Former council member Matt Dalbey read the invocation, which concluded with the phrase "Hail Satan." The prayer also included lines such as "Dear dark father" and a call to "embrace the Luciferianian impulse to eat at the tree of knowledge." Following the prayer, Pastor Rick Bick of New Life Center addressed the council, stating that the invocation was "a curse put on the city" and demanded it be reversed. Mayor Benjamin Foote then called for 30 seconds of silence for reflection. The meeting proceeded after this pause. ## Disagreement on prayer's content The New York Post reported the prayer included "Dear dark father" and "Hail Satan." Other reports, including digests from Fox News, wbap.com, and The Dallas Express News, also stated the prayer ended with "Hail Satan." Digests from WND and WND Newscenter stated the prayer began with "Dear dark father" and included a rejection of "arcane doctrines" and a pursuit of "luciferian impulses to eat of the tree of knowledge." ## Omissions None of the right-rated reports below mention the January-approved invocation policy by name or detail its specific allowance for statements from any faith or philosophy. The New York Post's full report notes Council Member Cara Galloway's reference to this policy and her vote against it in January, but this detail was not present in the digests. ## Who covered it Shares of the 22 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 100% (22) 0 of 22 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-08T02:15:08.337152+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-08T02:30:08.544Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - The right-rated reports focused on the satanic nature of the prayer and the immediate backlash it generated. Headlines frequently highlighted the phrase "Hail Satan" and the ensuing controversy. The New York Post, in its full report, detailed the prayer's content, including "Dear dark father" and specific lines from the invocation. It also quoted Pastor Rick Bick's demand to "reverse this curse" and Council Member Cara Galloway's concerns about the invocation policy. Other digests from outlets like Fox News, The Western Journal, and American Greatness also centred on the prayer and the pastor's reaction. The NRCC report linked the event to a politician, Sarah Trone Garriott, referencing a past event where she officiated a wedding for a Satanist couple. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 2 - low: 10 - mixed: 8 - high: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/usa/2026/10/08/2648534.html) — US city council opens with ‘Hail Satan’ prayer - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/iowa-city-council-meeting-erupts-after-former-member-opens-meeting-with-satanic-prayer-and-hail-satan) — Iowa city council meeting erupts after former member opens meeting with satanic prayer and 'Hail Satan' - NEW YORK TIMES POST - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/media/iowa-city-council-meeting-erupts-after-former-member-opens-meeting-satanic-prayer-hail-satan) — Iowa city council meeting erupts after former member opens meeting with satanic prayer and 'Hail Satan' - [Discern Report](https://discernreport.com/satanic-prayer-causes-uproar-at-city-council-meeting) — Satanic Prayer Causes Uproar at City Council Meeting - [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/10/07/us-news/iowa-city-council-erupts-after-starting-with-satanic-prayer) — Iowa city council erupts after starting with satanic prayer: ‘A curse put on the city’ - [wbap.com](https://wbap.com/2026/10/07/hail-satan-invocation-at-ottumwa-city-council-meeting-spurs-mayor-to-order-moment-of-silence) — ‘Hail Satan’ Invocation At Ottumwa City Council Meeting Spurs Mayor To Order Moment Of Silence - [The Dallas Express News](https://dallasexpress.com/national/hail-satan-invocation-at-ottumwa-city-council-meeting-spurs-mayor-to-order-moment-of-silence) — ‘Hail Satan’ Invocation Sparks Ottumwa Council Backlash - [The Western Journal](https://westernjournal.com/watch-pastor-fights-back-city-council-begins-meeting-prayer-satan) — Pastor Fights Back as City Council Begins Meeting with Prayer to Satan - [American Greatness](https://amgreatness.com/2026/10/07/outrage-in-ottumwa-iowa-city-council-meeting-opens-with-satanic-invocation) — Outrage in Ottumwa, Iowa: City Council Meeting Opens With Satanic Invocation › American Greatness - [100% FED UP!](https://100percentfedup.com/watch-iowa-city-council-meeting-opens-hail-satan) — Iowa City Council Meeting Opens With ‘Hail Satan’ Invocation — Pastor Immediately Fights Back – 100PercentFedUp.com – by Isaac - [NRCC](https://nrcc.org/2026/10/07/sarah-trone-garriotts-satanist-problem) — Sarah Trone Garriott’s Satanist problem - [End Time Headlines](https://endtimeheadlines.org/2026/10/town-council-meeting-in-iowa-opens-with-invocation-to-satan) — Town council meeting in Iowa opens with invocation to SATAN - [WND](https://wnd.com/2026/10/dear-dark-father-watch-midwest-town-council-open) — ‘Dear dark father’: Watch Midwest town council open meeting with ‘Hail Satan’ invocation * WorldNetDaily * by Bob Unruh - [wndnewscenter.org](https://wndnewscenter.org/dear-dark-father-watch-midwest-town-council-open-meeting-with-hail-satan-invocation) — ‘Dear dark father’: Watch Midwest town council open meeting with ‘Hail Satan’ invocation * WND News Center - [World](https://wng.org/sift/city-council-meeting-in-iowa-opens-with-prayer-to-satan-1791409618) — City council meeting in Iowa opens with prayer to Satan - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/remember-this-election-day-iowa-city-council-meeting) — Remember this on Election Day: Iowa City Council Meeting Opens With Prayer to SATAN — Councilwoman Objects When Mayor Calls for Prayer to “Reverse” It * The Gateway Pundit * by Jim Hᴏft - [🔔 The Liberty Daily](https://thelibertydaily.com/dear-dark-father-watch-midwest-town-council-open) — "Dear Dark Father": Watch Midwest Town Council Open Meeting With "Hail Satan" Invocation - [NewsBusters](https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/10/07/hail-satan-invocation-opens-iowa-city-council-meeting) — ‘Hail, Satan’ Invocation Opens Iowa City Council Meeting - [OAN](https://oann.com/newsroom/controversy-erupts-at-iowa-city-council-meeting-following-luciferian-opening-invocation-hail-satan) — Controversy erupts at Iowa city council meeting following Luciferian opening invocation: 'HAIL SATAN' - [WLTReport](https://wltreport.com/2026/10/07/iowa-city-council-hail-satan-invocation-pastor-fights-back) — Iowa City Council Meeting Opens With ‘Hail Satan’ Invocation — Pastor Immediately Fights Back - [The Post Millennial](https://thepostmillennial.com/iowa-city-council-meeting-opens-with-prayer-to-satan) — Iowa city council meeting opens with prayer to SATAN - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/10/07/iowa-city-council-meeting-erupts-after-former-member-opens-meeting-with-satanic-prayer-and-hail-satan) — Iowa city council meeting erupts after former member opens meeting with satanic prayer and ‘Hail Satan’ ## Questions **What happened at the Ottumwa City Council meeting?** A former council member, Matt Dalbey, read a satanic prayer during the invocation at the start of the meeting. The prayer included phrases like "Dear dark father" and "Hail Satan," which prompted outrage from a local pastor and a moment of silence called by the mayor. **Who was involved in the prayer incident?** Matt Dalbey, a former Ottumwa City Council member, read the satanic prayer. Pastor Rick Bick reacted to the prayer, and Mayor Benjamin Foote called for a moment of silence in response. **What was the prayer about?** The prayer included references to "Dear dark father" and "Hail Satan." It also called for embracing "Luciferianian impulse to eat at the tree of knowledge" and judging individuals by concrete actions rather than arbitrary social norms. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/iowa-council-meeting-opens-with-satanic-prayer. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Iowa Council Meeting Opens With Satanic Prayer", https://mediabias.news/politics/iowa-council-meeting-opens-with-satanic-prayer