On July 26, Paris hosted the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
However, the organizing committee of Paris 2024 had to apologize to Catholics and other Christian groups who were outraged by a scene during the opening ceremony that evoked Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painting, which featured drag queens, a transgender model and a singer made up as the Greek god of wine.
The unintended parody of the biblical scene, performed against the backdrop of the River Seine, was actually intended to interpret Dionysus and raise awareness “of the absurdity of violence between human beings”, organizers wrote on X.
The committee was forced to apologize after the performance caused outrage among Catholics, Christian groups and conservative politicians around the world.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” the Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference. “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence, we are really sorry.”
France has a rich Catholic heritage but also has a long tradition of secularism and anti-clericalism. Blasphemy is legal and considered by many to be an essential pillar of freedom of speech. Supporters of the tableau praised its message of inclusivity and tolerance.
The Catholic Church in France said it deplored a ceremony that “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity”.
Monsignor Emmanuel Gobilliard, a delegate of the Bishops of France for the Games, said some French athletes had had trouble sleeping because of the fallout from the controversy.
The Italian Bishops’ Conference said 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”.
Matteo Salvini, the leader of the far-right League, a party in Giorgia Meloni’s coalition government, described the segment as “squalid”. “Opening the Olympics by insulting billions of Christians around the world was a really bad start, dear French,” he added.
The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, spoke of the “moral void of the west”.
The topic of the Olympics opening was also followed by a strict response among the Georgian clergy. They claimed that the theme of the Paris Olympics was offensive and unacceptable.
Insulting and undermining religious feelings – Archbishop Shalva Kekelia
The leader of the Church of the Transfiguration, Archbishop Shalva Kekelia responded to the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. “Insulting and hurting religious feelings” is how he evaluated the show. He claimed that mocking “The Last Supper” is not allowed.
“We are not the only ones speaking about this. I have heard the attitude of many Catholic clergies. This was the mocking of “The Last Supper.” When you do it on purpose, it means that you are insulting Christianity. It is not allowed to belittle any person or touch his faith,” Kekelia said.
Insulting others is not really a European value – Deacon Aleksandre Galdava
“The analogue of The Last Supper was directly shown at the Olympics, but performed by transgenders. Insulting others is not really a European value,” said Deacon Aleksandre Galdava.
“At the same time, they appear as defenders of the minority. Moreover, it was not spontaneous, but was staged over the years,” said the deacon.
“What we saw at the opening of the Olympics clearly indicates the unprecedented degradation of the ‘developed world.’ De-Christianization seems to have become the goal of the world of the powerful,” Deacon Andria Kemularia
“What we saw at the opening of the Olympics clearly indicates the unprecedented degradation of the “developed world”. De-Christianization seems to have become the goal of the world of the powerful,” Deacon Andria Kemularia wrote on social media.
“In general, a sly attitude has been formed in modern man, as if theater and cinema, music and painting, science, sports, and in general, many areas of human activity are separated from morality, beliefs. It’s not like that! A person reveals himself as he is on the inside, and when he does not raise his voice to expose wrongdoing, when he allows himself to be a participant, he reveals his true essence.
“Decapitated Marie-Antoinette – the last queen of France who was killed by the revolution, splatters of blood, a parody of the Secret Service, an apocalyptic horseman, a naked man painted in blue, a bearded “mother man” – is this the best that France has decided to present to the world?! Of course, there are decent French people who have raised their voices against this abomination.
“The good thing is that famous people in the world protested against this injustice, and they aren’t Christians. It seems that the world is not yet ready to receive the Antichrist,” the deacon wrote.
Pseudo-liberals closely followed the opening of the Olympics, and the question still remains relevant among them: why did Georgian Dream banned LGBT propaganda?! – GD leader
“Pseudo-liberals closely followed the opening of the Olympics, and the question still remains relevant among them: why did Georgian Dream banned LGBT propaganda?! ” Mamuka Mdinaradze, the executive secretary of Georgian Dream and the leader of the parliamentary majority, wrote on social media in connection with the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
“Is this an actual topic and a problem today?! Not to the Russian law!!!” he added.
“Good that our NGO sector does not operate in Paris, otherwise I’m sure that they would’ve declared Pope, Catholic and Protestant bishops of all countries on the European continent or in the US as part of the Russian Church” – Beka Odisharia
“Once again, we are convinced that there is “no such thing as” LGBT propaganda, and naturally, “there is absolutely no” danger from it! Here, this is the tragicomic reality of our existence, which we are surrounded by,” Beka Odisharia, the chairperson of the Diaspora and Caucasus Affairs Committee of the Parliament, wrote on social media.
He noted that the theme of “The Last Supper” was presented in an offensive manner at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
“These filthy people dared and managed to use Leonardo da Vinci’s world masterpiece “The Last Supper”, which depicts the foundation of the Christian religion, for themselves. It infuriated 1 billion 400 million Catholic parish and its high hierarchs, more than 200 million Orthodox and 800 million Protestant community dominating in 92 countries!!! Good that our “NGO” sector does not operate in Paris, otherwise I’m sure that they would’ve declared Pope, Catholic and Protestant bishops of all countries on the European continent or in the US as part of the Russian Church. We need to be vigilant and mobilize like never before,” Odisharia wrote.
“Satan’s Masquerade” – Director Goga Khaindrava
Film director Goga Khaindrava also reacted to the opening ceremony of the Olympics on social media.
“Satan’s Masquerade” held in Paris reveals who and what power governs the so-called Euro-Atlantic space today! This gathering and a celebration of evil spirits! The signatories of President Salome Zurabishvili’s Charter are also on the way to this hell!” Khaindrava wrote.
By Ana Dumbadze
