Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics teemed with artistic celebrations of the host country’s culture. One installment, however, ruffled the feathers of many Christian and Catholic spectators.
A fashion show at the ceremony began with a scene that some onlookers say resembled a modern recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, The Last Supper. The original 15th century artwork depicts the final meal Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before he was crucified.
Participants in the act included drag queens and a transgender woman conversing along an extended runway. French actor and singer, Philippe Katerine, also appeared as the Greek god Dionysus, painted blue and wearing little more than a bunch of flowers covering his modesty.
The French Catholic Church said the festivities “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity.”
Viewers took to social media to respond.
“In this scene from the Olympic opening ceremony, the famous painting of The Last Supper is recreated, but Jesus is replaced with an obese woman, while queer and trans figures (including a child!) depict her apostles,” Jenna Ellis, former 2020 campaign attorney to Donald Trump, told her 1 million followers on X.
In this scene from the Olympic opening ceremony, the famous painting of The Last Supper is recreated, but Jesus is replaced with an obese woman, while queer and trans figures (including a child!) depict her apostles.
Overt pagan and satanic symbolism. pic.twitter.com/YImWfFDekB
— Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) July 26, 2024
American actor, Rob Schneider, also criticized the performance. “I am sorry to say to all the world’s greatest athletes, I wish you all the best, but I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan,” he wrote.
I am sorry to say to ALL the world’s GREATEST ATHLETES, I wish you ALL THE BEST, but I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan.
I sincerely hope THESE @Olympics get the same amount of viewers as @cspan https://t.co/M7XAbcNVJq— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) July 28, 2024
Bishop Emmanuel Gobillard, a spokesperson representing the Holy See for the 2024 Paris Olympics, told NBC News that the depiction of the Last Supper left him “deeply hurt.”
“The fact that our religion should be mocked is usual and we are used to blasphemy in France, but the context isn’t the same,” he said. “In an event that brings together all or part of the population, I found this staging hurtful and out of place.”
Opening Ceremony organizers issued an apology Sunday and clarified their intent.
“There was clearly never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” Paris 2024 spokesperson, Anne Descamps, told a news conference on Sunday.
“On the contrary, I think we tried to celebrate community, tolerance. We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we’re of course really sorry.”
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, said he was unaware of the criticism and wanted to display “inclusion.” Jolly defended the production when asked at a news conference Saturday about the backlash.
“When we want to include everyone and not exclude anyone, questions are raised,” he said at an International Olympic Committee media briefing.
“Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together,” he continued. “We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that. In France, we have freedom of creation, artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country. I didn’t have any specific messages that I wanted to deliver. In France, we are republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.”
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