Vatican Criticizes Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony for Offensive Drag Show

The Vatican has added its voice to the growing criticism of the opening ceremony for this year's Summer Olympics in Paris. The ceremony has come under fire for including a controversial drag show that parodied "The Last Supper" with Jesus Christ and his apostles. This performance has sparked outrage among Christians and other religious communities worldwide.

The Holy See expressed its disappointment in a statement, joining others who condemned the event's portrayal of a sacred religious scene. “The Holy See 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,” the Vatican said in a press release.

The Vatican's statement emphasized the importance of respecting religious beliefs at a global event intended to unify people through shared values. "At a prestigious event where the whole world comes together to share common values, there should be no allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people," the statement added. "The freedom of expression, which is clearly not called into question here, is limited by respect for others."

Numerous figures and organizations have echoed the Vatican's concerns, including the French Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Robert Barron, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), NFL kicker Harrison Butker, and C Spire, a U.S. tech company that announced it would pull its advertisements from the Olympics in protest.

In response to the backlash, the organizers of the games have issued an apology to those offended by the drag show performance. ESPN reported that the organizers acknowledged the concerns and explained that the act, one of several during the opening ceremony, was not intended to mock the biblical scene depicted in Leonardo Da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper."

Anne Descamps, a spokesperson for Paris 2024, clarified the organizers' intentions: “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” she said. “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”

Thomas Jolly, the ceremony’s artistic director, defended the scene by saying it aimed to embrace "diversity" and inclusion. He further claimed that the performance was not meant to reference "The Last Supper" but rather Greek mythology, noting the inclusion of a character dressed as the Greek god Dionysus.

While the performance has drawn significant criticism, it also received praise from some quarters. First Lady Jill Biden, who led the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremony, lauded the show during a brunch for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “It was spectacular,” she commented, “Every step of the way, I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh my God, oh my God. How are we going to top this?’”

The controversy over the opening ceremony underscores the delicate balance between artistic expression and respect for religious traditions at global events. As debates over the performance continue, the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of sensitivity to diverse beliefs in multicultural celebrations.

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