The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics continues to draw criticism over a show reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” that featured drag queens and transgender models, with Olympic organisers apologising to Catholics and Christians offended by the protests.
Photo: @olympics/X
Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century fresco of The Last Supper was commissioned by Duke Lodovico Sforza and, according to Christian belief, depicts the Last Supper that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples the day before he was arrested by Roman soldiers.
The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci (Wikipedia)
According to a news report from The Guardian, organisers said they wanted to draw attention to the “absurdity of violence between people” with the demonstration, which referenced the biblical story of the Last Supper.
The commission apologised for the scenes, which angered conservative politicians and Christians across Europe.
The French Catholic Church said it “devastated the opening ceremony, which has made a mockery of Christianity.”
The Italian Bishops’ Conference said the event, which was meant to be a celebration of French culture, “took an unexpected, negative turn and became a parade of errors.”
An article in the Italian Catholic daily newspaper Avvenire included complaints that “even a sporting event like Pride was made to go through.”
Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, which is in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition government, found this part of the Olympics “disgusting”, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said the situation was a “moral vacuum” in the West.
Thomas Joly, artistic director of the glitzy opening ceremony, said his organization “never intended to destroy religion.”
“We wanted to talk about diversity, and diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, and it’s that simple.”
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