Criticism of Last Supper parody at Olympics continues; US bishop says apology 'was anything but'

(OSV News) -- Organizers of the Paris Olympic Games apologized during the Games' daily news conference July 28 to those offended by a drag performance during the opening ceremony that the French bishops said "included scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity."

In what was supposed to be a feast of unity and joy for the world, France put itself in the eye of the storm July 26 as television cameras shown LGBTQ+ performers, one of whom wore a crown, seated at a table. The shape of the crown brought to mind a monstrance or halo.

The scene was immediately interpreted as a parody of Leonardo da Vinci's iconic wall painting in Milan's Dominican convent of the Last Supper.

The drag queen table scene was later complemented with a nude singer appearing in the middle of a fruit basket, to represent Dionysus, ancient Greece's God of wine, with the Olympic Games official profile on X, formerly Twitter, saying the depiction made us "aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."

In a statement July 27, the French bishops deplored the scenes at the opening of the Olympic Games.

While the ceremony was a "marvelous display of beauty and joy, rich in emotion and universally acclaimed," they said, it "unfortunately included scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity, which we deeply regret." The Olympic celebration, they said "goes far beyond the ideological biases of a few artists," the bishops stressed.

"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group," Olympic spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters July 28. "If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry."

Thomas Jolly, the French creative director of the opening ceremony, said at the news conference that he "did not intend to be subversive or to mock or shock," saying the show included "ideas from the French Republic," "inclusive ideas," because in France "we're allowed to love who we want, how we want."
 
Right after the apology, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, went on X, formerly Twitter, to say that while he complained about the Last Supper scene July 27 on social media and "had no intention of returning to the issue," he decided to do so after the "so-called apology from the organizing committee" was "anything but an apology," he said.

Reacting to Descamp's comments that there "was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group," Bishop Barron said, "Give me a break."

"So we have a group of drag queens cavorting in a kind of sexually provocative way, clearly in imitation of Da Vinci's Last Supper, which presents to the world the Last Supper of Jesus. And no disrespect was meant. Do you think anyone takes that seriously?" Bishop Barron asked.

To the comment by the show's director that what was intended was celebrating "community tolerance," Bishop Barron responded: "Yeah, tolerance. Except for those pesky, 2.6 billion Christians on the planet. Everyone's welcome. Everyone's tolerated, all this lovely diversity. Until you get to anyone that disagrees with your ideology. Like these 2.6 billion people," Bishop Barron said, referring to the size of the world's Christian population.

He noted the organizers said that "celebrating tolerance was achieved."

"I wonder what planet they're living on if they think this, that harmony and peace and all this was achieved by this clear affront to Christians," he said.

"Christians were offended because it was offensive, and it was intended to be offensive," Bishop Barron said, adding that "a real apology would be something like: This was a mistake. It should never have been done, and we're sorry for it." Bishop Barron also said that Christians "should keep raising our voices."

In a conversation with OSV News, Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard of Digne, the special representative of the Holy See for the 2024 Paris Olympics, said July 27 that what shocked him most "is that the freedom of spirit and tone claimed by those who set this up shouldn't be directed against others."

Bishop Gobilliard said, "You can make fun of your own ideas, laugh at yourself, why not. But to mock the faith and religion of others in this way … is very shocking. That was my first reaction."

He further stressed that the Olympic Games are the last place to create such divisions and that the scene violated the Olympic charter.

Rule 50 of the charter says: "It is important, on both a personal and a global level, that we keep the venues, the Olympic Village and the podium neutral and free from any form of political, religious or ethnic demonstrations."

Two days after the opening ceremony, a 16-year-old Catholic Brazilian skateboarder, Rayssa Leal, used sign language to quote John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life," to celebrate her bronze medal in the women's street skateboarding final in Paris.

"I did it because I do it in every competition. For me it is important, I am Christian, I believe a lot in God. There I asked for strength and sent a message to everyone, that God really is the way, the truth and the life," Leal told Brazilian media outlet UOL.

Brazilian media however raised a question whether after displaying her faith in a silent way two days after the controversial opening ceremony, Leal may be punished by the International Olympic Committee.

Meanwhile, the Polish state broadcaster suspended a sports television star journalist, a Catholic, who, during the controversial Olympic Games opening ceremony, reacted to a performance of John Lennon's "Imagine" by saying it was a "vision of communism."

"A world without heaven, nations and religion. This is the vision of communism, unfortunately," Przemyslaw Babiarz said live on air July 26. Lennon's song asks to imagine no heaven or hell, no countries, and no possessions.

After state-owned Polish Television suspended Babiarz, Polish state Ombudsman spoke up on July 29, saying that the Polish constitution protects free speech of journalists and "the public broadcaster is obliged to respect it in particular, and should ensure that journalists are able to express themselves unhindered and that there is a plurality of views."

Almost 30 current and former Olympians, and dozens of Babiarz's colleagues from the sports newsroom of Polish Television signed a letter of support July 30, asking the CEO of TVP to let Babiarz come back on air and continue commenting on the Olympic Games.

Babiarz doesn't shy away from talking about his faith. In a meeting with university students back in 2012 he said: "I think I talk about God with more commitment than about sports. This happens for a simple reason: God is more important to me." He is one of the most iconic sports commentators in Poland, which for 50 years was under communist rule -- a regime St. John Paul II helped overturn in 1989.

Suspending Babiarz for his opening ceremony remarks, Polish Television said in a statement that "sports should be free from politics," but many commentators in Poland saw the journalist's comments as a remedy for the controversial ceremony that made headlines for mocking the Catholic faith.