The 2024 Olympic Games got off to a controversial start on Friday night, with the opening ceremony angering many people, especially those of the Christian faith.
At one point, a segment featuring drag queens seemed to parody “The Last Supper.”
A spokesperson for the organizers has responded to the backlash with claims that this was an attempt at showing tolerance, which they reckon was achieved.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. (The opening ceremony) tried to celebrate community tolerance,” Anne Descamps told reporters, via Reuters.
“We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”
Paris 2024 organisers have apologised for any offence caused by ‘Last Supper’ sketch
The segment featured drag queens, a transgender model & a naked singer made up as the Greek god of wine Dionysus https://t.co/7M9V3bCbTW#Olympics #OlympicsOpeningCeremony #PARIS2024 pic.twitter.com/mST4JyWB5W
— Video Forensics (@Video_Forensics) July 28, 2024
James Leperlier, a French LGBTQ leader, has also claimed that the ceremony did not go far enough.
French LGBTQ leader James Leperlier suggested that the Opening Ceremony was not a true representation of France.
“We know in the LGBTQ community in France we are far from what the ceremony showed. There’s much progress to do in society regarding transgender people. It’s terrible that to legally change their identity they are forced to be on trial,” the Inter-LGBT president said.
“If you saw the opening ceremony last night you’d think it was like that normally, but it’s not. France tried to show what it should be and not what it is.”
American Priest Makes His Feelings Clear On Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
An American Catholic priest lashed out at the segment, referring to it as a mockery of one of Christianity’s most important moments.
“France felt evidently, as it’s trying to put its best cultural foot forward, the right thing to do is to mock this very central moment in Christianity, where Jesus at His Last Supper gives His body and blood in anticipation of the cross. And so it’s presented though as this gross sort of flippant mockery,” Bishop Robert Barron said.
“France, which used to be called the eldest daughter of the church, Paris, that gave us – Thomas Aquinas taught there, and Vincent De Paul was there, and King Louis IX – St. Louis. France has sent Catholic missionaries all over the world.
“France, whose culture – and I mean the honoring of the individual, of human rights, of freedom – is grounded very much in Christianity, felt the right thing to do is mock the Christian faith.
“I think, folks, what’s interesting here is this deeply secularist, postmodern society knows who its enemy is. They’re naming it. And we should believe them.”
