Apology Follows Outcry Over Opening Ceremony Scene Resembling a Biblical Image
The Paris 2024 organizing committee has issued an apology to Catholics and other Christian groups who were upset by a scene in the opening ceremony that parodied Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. The scene featured drag queens, a transgender model, and a singer dressed as the Greek god of wine, Dionysus.
The performance, set against the backdrop of the River Seine, aimed to raise awareness about “the absurdity of violence between human beings,” according to the organizers on social media platform X. However, the act sparked outrage among Catholics, Christian groups, and conservative politicians globally, forcing the committee to apologize.
Anne Descamps, a spokesperson for Paris 2024, addressed the controversy at a press conference, saying: “There was never any intention to show disrespect to any religious group. The opening ceremony aimed to celebrate community tolerance. We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are truly sorry.”
While France has a rich Catholic heritage, it also has a strong tradition of secularism and anti-clericalism. Blasphemy is legal in France and is often seen as a cornerstone of free speech. Supporters of the performance praised its message of inclusivity and tolerance.
The Catholic Church in France expressed disapproval of the ceremony, stating it included scenes of “derision and mockery of Christianity.” Monsignor Emmanuel Gobilliard, a delegate of the French bishops for the Games, mentioned that some French athletes had difficulty sleeping due to the controversy.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the top Catholic official in Malta and a Vatican doctrinal office representative, contacted France’s ambassador to Valletta to express his discontent over what he called a “gratuitous insult.”
The Italian bishops’ conference commented that what should have been a celebration of French culture took an “unexpectedly negative turn, becoming a parade of banal errors, accompanied by trite and predictable ideologies.”
An article in Avvenire, a daily Italian newspaper affiliated with the Catholic Church, questioned the necessity of experiencing every global event, including a sporting one, as if it were a “Gay Pride.”
Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy’s far-right League party and a member of Giorgia Meloni’s coalition government, labeled the segment as “squalid.” He criticized the decision to start the Olympics by “insulting billions of Christians around the world,” describing it as a poor choice.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also weighed in, speaking of the “moral void of the West.”
Some commentators have pointed to the controversy as yet another instance of 21st-century culture wars, exacerbated by the 24-hour news cycle and social media.
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director responsible for the vibrant opening ceremony, clarified that religious subversion was never his intention. “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that,” he explained on Saturday.
