The Bishop of Worcester has denounced Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony on Twitter as being “unnecessary and highly offensive” joining faith leaders around the world in denouncing the parody of the Last Supper portrayed in the opening ceremony.
However, the Archbishop of Canterbury who spoke of his anticipation of viewing the opening ceremony, has been silent about the deliberate affront to Christians by the organizers.
The 26 July 2024 Olympic opening ceremony began on the Seine River with a flotilla of 85 boats carrying the athletes from the gathered nations in Paris, as well as boats displaying artistic tableaux, and performances by singers such as Céline Dion and Lady Gaga. However, the tableaux turned dark with scenes glorifying the beheading of Marie Antoinette, displays of a Golden Calf from Exodus, a White Horse from the Revelation of John, and a parody Last Supper laid out in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” mural. Instead of Jesus and his disciples, the scene depicted a group of drag queens, trans models, and a half-naked blue-painted man, with a morbidly obese woman at the center, surrounded by DJ equipment and dancers.
Barbara Butch, the self-described “fat, Jewish, queer lesbian” who depicted Jesus in The Last Supper during Paris Olympics opening ceremony, says her aim is to “unite people” and to “share love” on social media posts. She also acknowledged the deliberate parody of the Last Supper, posting a photo of her performance alongside Da Vinci’s last supper, and labeling it as the “gay new testament.”
“The opening ceremony,” the French Catholic Bishops’ Conference said in a statement released on 27 July 2024, “offered the world wonderful moments of beauty, joy, rich emotions, and universal acclaim,” but “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.”
“We think of all Christians worldwide who were hurt by the excess and provocation of certain scenes,” the French Bishops wrote. “We hope they understand that the Olympic celebration extends far beyond the ideological biases of a few artists.”
In response to requests for explanations, Michaël Aloïsio, spokesperson for the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee, responded on Saturday, July 27, on Franceinfo: “We stand by our decision to push boundaries.”
However the uproar prompted the Olympic Organizing Committee to issue a belated apology the next day. “Clearly there was never any intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, we intended to show tolerance and community. If people have taken any offense then we are sorry,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference.
The Bishop of Worcester the Rt Rev John Inge responded to criticism of the sketch on X, formerly known as Twitter saying: “Neither funny not beautiful but, as you say, unnecessary and highly offensive.
“The secular elite would not dream of mocking other faiths in this dreadful manner.”
Bishop Inge’s comments came in response to a post by Gavin Calver, CEO of Evangelical Alliance who wrote: “I hope that the #PARIS2024 #OlympicGames are a great success.
“However, it really was appalling to see Christianity so openly mocked in the opening ceremony with the unbelievably crass portrayal of the Last Supper. Utterly insensitive, unnecessary and offensive.”
Writing on Friday, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby said: “Looking forward to the #OpeningCeremony this evening!” Comments on his post have urged the Archbishop to speak up and defend the Christian faith. He has not returned to social media to comment further.
