The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics has come under criticism for featuring a scene that many perceive as a parody of the Last Supper, involving drag queens.
In this controversial performance, over a dozen drag queens were arranged along a long table in a tableau reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting, which portrays Jesus' final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion.
Broadcast live from a rain-drenched Paris on Friday evening, the scene showed the drag queens moving suggestively along the table on either side of a woman who appeared to represent Jesus. Standing still at the center, she wore a headpiece resembling a halo and held her hands in a heart shape.
The scene quickly sparked backlash on social media, drawing particular criticism for seemingly including a child.
Gavin Calver, the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance of the United Kingdom, expressed his disappointment. While he wished for the success of the Paris Olympics, he labeled the depiction as “utterly insensitive, unnecessary and offensive.”
“However, it really was appalling to see Christianity so openly mocked in the opening ceremony with the unbelievably crass portrayal of the Last Supper,” he wrote on X.
Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO who recently referred to himself as a “cultural Christian,” also weighed in on X, describing the performance as “extremely disrespectful to Christians.” He added in a subsequent post, “Christianity has become toothless.”
The performance was branded “woke” by some social media commentators, while others pointed out that the organizers would not have dared to mock Islam in such a manner.
American Catholic Bishop Robert Barron condemned the act as a “gross mockery of the Last Supper,” questioning why France chose to “mock this very central moment in Christianity” during an event intended to highlight the best of French culture. He further emphasized that France's cultural identity “is grounded very much in Christianity.”
“Would they ever have dared mock Islam in a similar way? Would they ever have dreamed of mocking in this gross, public way a scene from the Quran? As I say, we all know the answer to that,” he stated in a video posted on X.
Rev Daniel French, a podcaster, echoed the bishop's sentiments, urging the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to make a similar statement.
“The opening Olympic ceremony mocked Christianity and the Last Supper in a way it never would have for any other religion,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Conservative French politician and European parliament member Marion Maréchal, emphasized that the performance did not reflect the views of everyone in France.
"To all the Christians of the world who are watching the #Paris2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation. #notinmyname," she wrote on X.
The latest controversy comes after the International Olympic Committee was criticized earlier for its guidelines that called for implementing “gender-equal and fair portrayal practices in all forms of communication” across every area of the Olympics. Stakeholders were “encouraged” to “adopt and adapt these guidelines according to cultural contexts.”
“Every person, irrespective of their gender identity or sex variations, has the right to practice sport without discrimination and in a way that respects their health, safety and dignity,” the IOC portrayal guidelines say.
Stakeholders were instructed in regards to “terms to avoid” in communicating about the Olympics, which includes “born male”, “born female,” and “biologically female.”
“Use of phrases like those above can be dehumanizing and inaccurate when used to describe transgender sports people and athletes with sex variations,” opined the ICC in the document. “A person’s sex category is not assigned based on genetics alone and aspects of a person’s biology can be altered when they pursue gender-affirming medical care.”
Steve McConkey, President of 4 WINDS USA, slammed the “UN controlled Olympic committee” at that time for “push[ing] the radical LGBTQ agenda.”
"The IOC continues to show their true colors," said McConkey in a statement expressing concern about the portrayal guidelines. "They push radical agendas and have allowed the Olympics to be in countries that persecute Christians.
“Individual athletes need to concentrate on their events and Christians need to share Christ despite the Olympic Committee's efforts."
