The Bishops’ Conference of France has denounced the organizers of the Olympic Games over an LGBTQ-themed parody of the Last Supper during the event’s opening ceremony. The organizers have claimed that the performance reflected their “values and principles.”
The ceremony, which took place in central Paris on Friday night, concluded with a troupe of drag queens, homosexuals, and transsexuals posing at a table, as Jesus Christ and his apostles appeared in Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’.
A giant serving dish was then wheeled out in front of the table, from which emerged a mostly naked man made up to resemble Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and festivity.
Throughout the performance, a male dancer’s exposed testicles could be seen behind the table.
“This ceremony unfortunately included scenes in which Christianity was mocked and ridiculed, which we deeply regret,” the Bishops’ Conference said in a statement on Saturday.
“We thank the members of other religious denominations who have expressed their solidarity with us,” the statement continued. “This morning we think of all Christians on all continents who have been hurt by the exaggeration and provocation of some scene.
The ceremony was condemned by Christians and conservatives around the world. Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota called the performance a “gross mockery of the Last Supper,” while Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini declared that “opening the Olympics by insulting billions of Christians across the world was a really bad start” for France.
Another episode that was seen as mocking of Christianity was a rider on a pale horse parading along the river Seine. This was seen as a reference to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse – the one representing Death – in the biblical Book of Revelation. The use of such a symbol was perceived by some as “straight satanic” and suggesting that it was being made clear that “Christian viewers aren’t welcome.”
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk described the spectacle as “extremely disrespectful to Christians,” while tech entrepreneur Dr. Eli David wrote that “even as a Jew,” he was “infuriated by this outrageous insult to Jesus and Christianity.”
Olympic organizers have defended the opening show. “We imagined a ceremony to show our values and our principles so we gave a very committed message,” Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet told reporters on Saturday. “The idea was to really trigger a reflection. We wanted to have a message as strong as possible.”
“Our idea was inclusion,” added Thomas Jolly, the ceremony’s artistic director. “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everybody.”
However, Netizens argued that several parts of the ceremony mocked universally recognizable works of art associated with Christianity. One such performance featured transgender performers appearing to re-enact ‘The Last Supper’, the renowned painting of Christ and his apostles by Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. Users on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram alike lambasted the performance as “disgusting” and “outright blasphemy.”
