Catholic leaders join French bishops in condemning Last Supper scene at Paris Olympics opening

CNA Newsroom, Jul 27, 2024 / 13:00 pm

Bishops and prominent prelates from around the world have joined the French Bishops’ Conference and U.S. bishops in criticizing the July 26 Paris Olympics opening ceremony for its depiction of the Last Supper, calling it a deeply deplorable derision of Christianity.

The controversial scene, part of the 1.5-billion-euro (about $1.62 billion) spectacle to kick off the 2024 Summer Olympics in a rain-soaked French capital on Friday, featured drag queens portraying the apostles and an overweight DJ as Jesus in what appeared to be part of a fashion show — apparently mocking Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting.

The official Olympics Twitter account described part of the scene as depicting “the Greek god Dionysus,“ making people “aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.“

In a statement released Saturday, the French bishops expressed deep regret over “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.”

“We thank the members of other religious denominations who have expressed their solidarity,” the statement on July 27 continued.

“This morning, we think of all Christians on all continents who have been hurt by the outrage and provocation of certain scenes.”

The bishops added: “We hope they understand that the Olympic celebration extends far beyond the ideological preferences of some artists.”

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta said on X he had sent messages to the French ambassador to Malta expressing his “distress and great disappointment at the insult to us Christians during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics when a group of drag artists parodied the Last Supper of Jesus.”

The prelate, who also is a Vatican official, said he encouraged others to write the ambassador.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, issued a statement calling on Catholics to respond to the Paris incident with prayer and fasting.

Referencing the recent National Eucharistic Congress, Cozzens wrote: “Jesus experienced his passion anew Friday night in Paris when his Last Supper was publicly defamed.“

“France and the entire world are saved by the love poured out through the Mass, which came to us through the Last Supper. Inspired by the many martyrs who shed their blood to witness to the truth of the Mass, we will not stand aside and quietly abide as the world mocks our greatest gift from the Lord Jesus,“ the bishop wrote.

“Rather, through our prayer and fasting, we will ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us with the virtue of fortitude so that we may preach Christ — Our Lord and Savior, truly present in the Eucharist — for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.“

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, called on Catholics to “make their voices heard” in response to what he termed “the gross mockery of the Last Supper.”

The archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Fernando Chomali, expressed disappointment with “the grotesque parody of the most sacred thing we Catholics have, the Eucharist,” ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, reported.

“The intolerance of the ‘tolerant’ has no limit. This is not the way to build a fraternal society. We witnessed nihilism at its maximum expression,” he added.

German Bishop Stefan Oster called the “queer Last Supper” scene “a low point and completely superfluous in the staging” in a post by the German Bishops’ Conference.

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Fray Nelson Medina, a well-known Colombian Dominican priest with a vast social media apostolate, stated that he “will not watch a single scene from the Olympic Games. How disgusting what they have done mocking the Lord Jesus Christ and his supreme gift of love. And they are cowards: They wouldn’t mess with Muhammad.”

Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne, Australia, commented on X: “I prefer the original.”

‘A minority of the left’

Javier Tebas Medrano, president of La Liga, Spain’s top professional football division, strongly condemned the Parisian drag queen scenes on social media. ACI Prensa reported that Medrano posted an image of the performance with the statement: “Unacceptable, disrespectful, infamous! Using the image of the Last Supper in the Paris Olympic Games is an insult to those of us who are Christians. Where is the respect for religious beliefs?”

Marion Maréchal, a French member of the European Parliament and granddaughter of the famous right-wing leader Jean Marie Le-Pen, addressed “all Christians who felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper” on X, stating: “Know that it is not France that is speaking” in the inauguration “but a minority of the left ready for any provocation.”

Walter Sánchez Silva contributed to this report. Last updated on July 27, 2024, with further reactions.