2026-10-09 · contested story
'It Is Done. Hail Satan:' City Immediately Regrets New Religious Liberty Law That Allows Prayer at City Council Meeting
On October 6, 2026, the Ottumwa, Iowa city council meeting opened with a satanic invocation delivered by resident and former council member Matt Dalbey, a member of The Satanic Temple of Iowa. His prayer began with 'Dear dark father' and ended with 'It is done. Hail Satan.' This prompted local pastor Rick Bick to rush the podium and demand the council 'reverse that curse,' while council member Cara Galloway — the lone vote against the invocation policy approved January 20, 2026 — argued it was out of order and the meeting should proceed. Mayor Benjamin Foote called for a 30-second moment of silence. The invocation was legal under the city's open invocation policy (Resolution 18-2026), which permits any resident to volunteer regardless of faith. Dalbey, who described himself as a 'constitutionalist' concerned about mixing religion and government, is scheduled to deliver another invocation November 3.
How each side frames it
left
"An Iowa man has kicked off controversy over religious freedom in the small town of Ottumwa, Iowa by opening a city council meeting with a prayer to Satan, which then kicked off a debate about the proper time in the meeting agenda to undo the “curse.”"
"Iowa city council debates proper time in meeting agenda to "undo the curse that was just put on our city.""
"Dalbey told 404 Media he was a sincere member of the Temple of Satan but stressed it’s “an organization of nontheists, people who don’t believe in any deities or supernatural beings.”"
"Galloway spent the moment of silence with her head up and her arms crossed."
center
"An invocation at the beginning of Tuesday's Ottumwa City Council meeting overshadowed everything else that took place over the course of 80 minutes."
"We cannot discriminate against a denomination, and everyone that is invited to perform the invocation has followed the correct protocol"
"I don't know what's on Mr. Dalbey's heart, but that's part of what happens when you have an open policy like this. You have to be open to allow people to express their different beliefs."
"Bick: Let’s just reverse that curse that was just put on our city. That ending with ‘Hail Satan’ and ‘Hail Dark God’ — that’s not welcome here."
"The policy says the city does not endorse or prefer any faith. Instead, it says the council seeks to respect "the diversity of both organized and unorganized religious denominations, as well as other faiths, belief systems, or the lack thereof" among Ottumwa residents."
right
"NO VERBATIM OTTUMWA COVERAGE AVAILABLE IN RIGHT SOURCES"
"A new law in Washington state intrudes into the territory of the sacred."
"Pennsylvania mom rips school district's 'double standard' for allowing 'Satanic Club' event"
What each side left out
The left left out — covered by the ChurchLeaders.com & Bring Me The News
- Mayor Foote's later statement to Fox News Digital that the invocation 'is not a reflection of our community'
- The seven-item verbatim list of invocation policy rules (no disparagement, no proselytizing, two-minute limit)
The center left out — covered by the 404 Media
- Dalbey's self-identification as a 'constitutionalist' worried about mixing religion and government
- The ironic 'City Immediately Regrets' framing / officials' embarrassment angle
The right left out — covered by the 404 Media & Ottumwa Courier & Bring Me The News & Yahoo! / Dallas Express & ChurchLeaders.com
- The entire Ottumwa event
- Galloway's slippery-slope warning
- The city's non-discrimination statement
- The policy's legal rationale and the 4-1 vote
- Dalbey's TST membership and nontheist explanation
What's actually true?
[verified] Former council member Matt Dalbey delivered a satanic invocation ending with 'It is done. Hail Satan' at the Oct. 6, 2026 Ottumwa City Council meeting.
[verified] The invocation policy (Resolution 18-2026) was approved January 20, 2026, by a 4-1 vote, with Galloway the only dissenter.
[verified] Dalbey is a member of The Satanic Temple of Iowa, which is a resolutely non-theistic organization that does not believe in a satanic deity or the supernatural.
[verified] Pastor Rick Bick of the New Life Center demanded the council 'reverse that curse' after the invocation.
[verified] Mayor Benjamin Foote called for a 30-second moment of silence 'to reflect on whatever it is we need to reflect on at this time.'
[verified] Dalbey is scheduled to deliver the invocation again at the November 3 city council meeting.
[verified] The city released a statement saying it had been 'fielding calls all day' and 'cannot discriminate against a denomination,' and that it does not automatically endorse what speakers say.
[unverified] The Satanic Temple, via the ACLU of Iowa, filed a federal lawsuit in August asking a court to prevent the state from violating TST's rights to free speech, religious exercise, and nondiscrimination.
The narrative clash
Whether the pastor's objection should be addressed immediately or deferred to public comment
Left: “No,” Galloway said. “We are at the consent agenda. I’m sorry, but it’s time to move forward. The invocation happened.”
Right: “It needs to be done now, OK.” Rick said... “that was a curse put on our city when he said ‘Hail Satan’ and the dark god and most of you know that. And we need to just stop and reverse it.”
23 sources analyzed
404 Media Ottumwa Courier Bring Me The News The Dispatch Yahoo! Search Fox News ChurchLeaders.com City Journal Fox News The New Republic PBS NewsHour National Review Reason Fox News PBS NewsHour CNN Los Angeles Times CNN New York Post National Review Fox News CNN PBS NewsHour