Vatican deplores Olympic ‘offense done to many Christians’

CNA Staff, Aug 3, 2024 / 15:16 pm (CNA).

In response to the July 26 Paris Olympics opening ceremony that mocked the Last Supper — and after the French bishops and other Catholic and world leaders decried the display — the Vatican on Saturday issued a statement denouncing the scene.

In a brief statement emailed to journalists in French, the Holy See said it “was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and cannot but join the voices raised in recent days to deplore the offense done to many Christians and believers of other religions.”

“In a prestigious event where the whole world comes together around common values, there should not be allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people,” the statement continued.

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

“Freedom of expression, which is obviously not called into question, finds its limit in respect for others,” the Holy See concluded in its statement.

Saturday’s statement comes in the wake of an open letter issued by Catholic cardinals and bishops from around the world on Friday calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to “repudiate” and “apologize” for the “intentionally hateful mockery” of the Last Supper.

In the letter — signed by three cardinals and 24 bishops — the prelates stated: “It is hard to understand how the faith of over 2 billion people can be so casually and intentionally blasphemed.”

The signatories, led by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke; Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, OFM; and Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, CM, also called for “a day of prayer and fasting in reparation for this blasphemy.”