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Paris, France | AGENCIES | Organisers of the Paris 2024 have been criticised for a scene at the Opening Ceremony that parodied Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous ‘The Last Supper’ painting.
The scene, which resembled the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his apostles sharing a last meal before crucifixion and featured drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer made up as the Greek god of wine Dionysus, drew dismay from the Catholic Church and the religious right in America.
Other officials said it was a scene depicting Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, based on The Feast of the Gods, a 17th century painting by Dutch artist Jan Harmensz.
The Catholic church in France said it deplored a ceremony that “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity.”
Following the globally broadcast ceremony, many leaders of other religious denominations expressed their solidarity with the French Catholic Church, according to the statement.
“We think of all Christians worldwide who were hurt by the excess and provocation of certain scenes,” the French Bishops assured. “We hope they understand that the Olympic celebration extends far beyond the ideological biases of a few artists,” continued the French Episcopal Conference.
Bishop François Touvet, President of the French Church’s Communication Council and coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, “strongly associated” himself with the Church of France’s statement. On social media, he declared, “I protest, like many, against this scandalous and grave insult to Christians worldwide, not forgetting the other excesses of the show.
The organisers issued a statement therafter.
“It is clear that no disrespect to any religious group was ever intended. The opening ceremony sought to celebrate the tolerance of the community. We believe that this ambition was achieved. If people were offended, we are truly sorry,”, said Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Decamp at a press conference
JUST IN: Paris Olympics organizers issue apology after they mocked Christianity during their opening ceremony.
Organizers say they are “really sorry” if they offended anyone, saying there was “never an intention” of offending Christians.
“Clearly there was never an intention to… pic.twitter.com/PFsO1QtM8l
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 28, 2024
