# Iowa City Council Meeting Erupts After Satanic Prayer

> Iowa city council meeting disrupted by former member's satanic prayer ending with 'Hail Satan'.
- Title: Iowa City Council Meeting Erupts After Satanic Prayer
- Summary: Iowa city council meeting disrupted by former member's satanic prayer ending with 'Hail Satan'. Ottumwa City Council meeting began with a Satanic Temple…
- Keywords: ottumwa city council, satanic temple, matt dalbey, rick bick, benjamin foote, cara galloway, first amendment, city council invocation policy, news, politics, Iowa, City
- Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/media/iowa-city-council-meeting-erupts-after-former-member-opens-meeting-satanic-prayer-hail-satan
- Author: Lindsay Kornick
- Published: 2026-10-07T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ottumwa city council, satanic temple, matt dalbey, rick bick, benjamin foote, cara galloway, first amendment, city council invocation policy, news, politics
## Ottumwa City Council Meeting Begins
Ottumwa City Council opened Tuesday with a resident reciting a satanic prayer ending in 'Hail Satan'.

> Hail Satan
## Former Council Member Opens Meeting
Former council member Matt Dalbey recited a prayer invoking the 'dark father' to 'embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat from the tree of knowledge'.

> embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat from the tree of knowledge
## Council Member Demands Action
New Life Center Pastor Rick Bick demanded immediate reversal of the invocation, calling it a curse on the city.

> Let's just reverse this curse that was put on our city
## Mayor Requests Silence
Ottumwa Mayor Benjamin Foote requested 30 seconds of silence to allow for prayer or reflection before overruling council member Cara Galloway.

> This is not a reflection of our community
## Council Member Expresses Concerns
Council member Cara Galloway warned that opening with invocations could lead to financial liabilities and conflicts for the city.

> Opening with an invocation means allowing viewpoints that may not reflect our own
## Satanic Temple Clarifies Stance
Satanic Temple member Matt Dalbey stated the prayer has nothing to do with belief in a satanic deity.

> but has nothing to do with the belief in a satanic deity
## Key takeaway

Ottumwa City Council meeting began with a Satanic Temple member reciting a prayer declaring 'Hail Satan', sparking immediate backlash from council members and the mayor.