The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris last Friday sparked huge controversy with its depiction of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting “The Last Supper,” which drew backlash from prominent religious figures, politicians, advertisers, and celebrities. The official Olympic account appears to have removed the video of the opening ceremony from its YouTube page after widespread criticism.
The Tableau Vivant featured drag queens in flashy, extravagant costumes (in some cases exposing their private parts to the public), flashy wigs, heavy makeup, and glittering gowns. Each drag queen portrayed one of the twelve apostles at Jesus' last meal before his crucifixion.
Jesus Christ was personified by Barbara Bucci, a French DJ who describes herself as a “fat Jewish queer lesbian.”
The exhibit also featured a nude “transgender” performer playing the pagan god Dionysus, which organisers said was intended to “make people aware of the absurdity of human violence”.
The scene was augmented with high-tech multimedia elements, including holographic projections and a modern dance routine.
politician
The performance immediately drew harsh criticism from all quarters.
Politicians, especially those from conservative and religious backgrounds, condemned the display as disrespectful and inappropriate. French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the Unbowed France party, was particularly dismayed and surprised that the Olympics risked offending billions of Christians.
“Last night's mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and offensive to Christians around the world who watched the Olympic opening ceremony,” wrote House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). “The battle against our faith and traditional values ​​knows no bounds today, but we know that truth and virtue will always prevail.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) described the ceremony as “Satanic, trance and occult” and accused the French Olympic Committee of trying to remove the video footage from its channel.
At the same time, other celebrities, including First Lady Jill Biden, found the event “amazing.”
Religious leaders
Religious leaders were particularly vocal in their opposition.
The French bishops' conference expressed mixed feelings about the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. They acknowledged that the ceremony was “a wonderful display of beauty and joy, full of emotion and admired throughout the world.” But they also said they regretted that it “unfortunately included scenes of mockery and insult to Christianity.”
According to the Catholic Herald:
Catholic Church leaders took to social media to express sadness over the incident, with some placing it in a broader, worrying context.
“Secular fundamentalism has infiltrated the Olympics to the point of desecrating the religion of more than a billion people,” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco wrote to X. “Will they do the same with other religions?”
Leaders of other Christian denominations, including the Russian Orthodox Church, also condemned the performance, calling it blasphemous and calling for an apology from the organizers.
Islamic leaders also chimed in. Egypt's Al-Azhar, the highest seat of learning for Sunni Islam, condemned the Jesus display as a “barbaric and reckless way of causing distress to believers of the religion and an affront to morality and noble human values.”
Pope Francis has not commented directly on the performance, but in his “Today's Gospel” post on Sunday, he referenced the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, highlighting the events leading up to his betrayal, trial and crucifixion.
The Babylon Bee, a satirical Christian news site, published an article titled “Sodom and Gomorrah Selected to Host the 2028 Olympics.”
Celebrities
The controversy has also spread to the celebrity world.
Donald Trump Jr. reposted a snapshot of the performance, which he described as “satanic,” noting that “they're not even acting anymore.”
“I feel bad for all the great athletes around the world and I wish you the best of luck, but I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly glorifies the Devil,” actor Rob Schneider wrote.
“This is extremely disrespectful to Christians,” Elon Musk wrote in response to a post calling for people to “reject the degradation” of the Olympics.
Popular British journalist Piers Morgan said the decision to mock Christianity in a drag queen performance was “terrible.”
Regarding the Olympics' depiction of “The Last Supper,” Jillian Michaels, a famous Hollywood fitness coach and lesbian, wrote to X: “Dear gay people…we are calling for tolerance and respect, yet you are mocking something sacred to over 2 billion Christians. Such hypocrisy and incomprehension is unsightly.”
Advertiser
C Spire, the largest privately held wireless communications company in the United States, said in a brief statement that it was “shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper” and immediately withdrew its Olympic advertising.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves praised C Spire's decision, saying, “I'm proud of Mississippi's private sector for standing up and taking a stand. God will not be mocked.”
Explanation and apology from the organizers
As the backlash grew, Olympic organizers told reporters that no disrespect was intended. Forbes reports:
Anne Decquin, a spokeswoman for the Paris Games, told reporters on Sunday that there was “no intention of showing any disrespect to any religious community,” and that Thomas Joly, the opening ceremony's creative director, wanted instead to “celebrate the community's tolerance,” according to multiple media outlets.
She said the scene was generally well received, but that organisers were “obviously very, very sorry” to anyone who was offended.
Jolie, who is gay, has steadfastly denied that she was inspired by “The Last Supper,” saying in an interview after the backlash that her “aim was to have a big pagan party in honour of the Olympian gods” and that it was meant to “bring people together” as well as affirm France's “republican values ​​of liberty, equality and fraternity.”
Following these statements, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) apologised, saying there was “no intention of disrespecting any religious group or belief” and that the ceremony was simply intended to “celebrate community and tolerance”.
The official full video of the ceremony appears to have been removed from the Olympics' YouTube channel.
“The Olympics are now trying to erase the memory of last night's opening ceremony,” wrote popular conservative commentator Benny Johnson.
Like many other members of X, Johnson called on the public to join him in a “total and total boycott of this blasphemous and repulsive satanic ritual once called the Olympics.”
