July 29, 2024, 06:31 PM
The 2024 Paris Olympics committee has apologised to Catholics and Christians following a controversial scene that appeared to parody Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper".
The sketch featured a woman wearing a silver, halo-like headdress at the center of a long table, while drag queens pose on either side of her.
Later in the performance, a nearly naked man, painted blue and made up like the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, sings on a dinner plate on the table surrounded by fruit.
It was televised worldwide as part of the opening ceremony on Friday (Jul. 26).
The 2024 Paris Olympics has gone full Woke dystopian.
The opening ceremony was filled with transgend*r mockery of the Last Supper, the Golden Calf idol, and even the Pale Horse from the Book of Revelation.
The Olympics has made it clear that Christian viewers aren't welcome. pic.twitter.com/LgawyE6YRX
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 26, 2024
Sketch criticised for 'parodying' biblical scene
Viewers quickly drew parallels between the sketch and the biblical scene depicted in da Vinci's painting, where Jesus partakes in a final meal with his disciples before his death.
Image from Kyle Becker / X.
Criticism soon followed from the Catholic Church and conservative groups in America, Reuters reported.
The Catholic church in France said it deplored a ceremony that "included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity".
Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the highest-ranking Catholic official in Malta, wrote on X that he had contacted France’s ambassador to Malta to complain about the “gratuitous insult”.
I have just sent these two messages to H.E. the French Ambassador to Malta expressing my distress & the disappointment of many Christians at the gratuitous insult to the Eucharist during the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. I encourage others to message H.E. pic.twitter.com/KKdebHYh9d
— Bishop CJ Scicluna (@BishopScicluna) July 27, 2024
"I would like to express my distress and great disappointment at the insult to us Christians during the opening ceremony... when a group of drag artists parodied the Last Supper of Jesus," he wrote.
Organisers apologised for any offence taken
The ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly appeared to put a distance between the scene and any “Last Supper” parallels after the ceremony, AP News reported.
Instead, he said it was meant to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.
In an explanation posted to X on Jul. 27, the Olympic Games wrote that "the interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."
The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024
The Paris 2024 Olympics organisers also apologised on Jul. 28 for any outcry caused by the scene, AP News and The Guardian reported.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference.
“We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry.”
So was it really a parody of 'The Last Supper'?
Australia art historian Sasha Grishin told The New York Times that the scene's resemblance to the da Vinci's painting was unmistakable.
"The central figure wearing the headdress was reminiscent of High Renaissance-style Last Supper paintings, in which Jesus is depicted with a halo or light around his head," she said.
Other experts, however, felt the reference to the iconic painting was not clear.
Some pointed out that there were at least 17 drag queens at the Olympics table, compared to the painting with Jesus and his 12 apostles.
Others likened the scene to a painting of the gods of Olympus called “The Feast of the Gods.”
The Musée Magnin in France also posted an image of the painting on X on Jul. 28 with the caption, "Does this painting remind you of something?”
Ce tableau vous rappelle quelque chose ? 😉
Et si vous veniez l’admirer au #MuséenationalMagnin à Dijon ?@jeuxolympiques @paris2024@Thomajolly @DaphneBurki #Paris2024 #ceremoniedouverture #Jeuxolympiques pic.twitter.com/iUteobd2eb
— Musée Magnin (@MagninMusee) July 28, 2024
Top image from Kyle Becker / X
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