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The Vatican said on Saturday it was saddened by a farcical performance at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics that appeared to parody Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper.”
“The Vatican is deeply saddened by certain scenes during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris and cannot but join those who have in recent days in condemning this offense against so many Christians and followers of other religions,” the Vatican said in an unusual weekend evening press release in French.
The sequence at the July 26 ceremony resembled the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his apostles sharing a last meal before his crucifixion, but featured drag queens, transgender models and a nude singer portraying the Greek god of wine, Dionysus.
Republicans were outraged at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics because they thought it depicted the Last Supper. In fact, the opening ceremony depicted the ancient Greek Dionysia, a pre-Christian pagan gathering. If you only read one book, you would be stupid enough to think there was only one dinner… pic.twitter.com/b27oIHBBkT
— Mike Elgan (@MikeElgan) July 31, 2024
Paris 2024 Olympic organizers apologized two days later, saying they had never intended to disrespect any religious group.
The set’s artistic director said the scene was inspired not by the Christian Last Supper but by a pagan feast associated with the historic Olympic Games.
The Vatican added: “At an event where the whole world comes together for shared values, there should be no suggestion that it mocks the religious beliefs of many people.”
“Freedom of speech is obviously unquestionable, but its limits are in respecting others.”
The Vatican did not say why it took more than a week for the opening ceremony to issue a statement.
On August 1, Pope Francis spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the two leaders discussed the Paris events.
Although the Vatican later confirmed the call to Reuters, it did not comment on what the leaders discussed.
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church also condemned the skit, which resembled a biblical scene.
(Editing by Georgi Gotev)
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