Paris Olympics blasphemy causes global outrage, and Paris power outage:
Organizing Committee apologizes, claims it was not meant to offend
A performance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony has sparked backlash, particularly from the Christian community after the show featured drag queens posing behind a table reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction of the ‘Last Supper,’ where Jesus dined with his apostles.
One performer wore a large silver headdress resembling a halo, while another was painted blue and adorned with flowers, appearing to symbolise a dish being served at the meal. Social media reactions have been overwhelmingly critical and full of rage, with many users calling the performance an “insult” to Catholics.
Diplomasia News/Magazine Xed: “The Olympics Opening Ceremony in France Paris was a disgrace to
Christians and World at Large! The Video is gross. Promoting Homosexually, blasphemy and everything on it! Horrible. The is not African Culture. Disgusting is least word!”
‘BLASPHEMY OF THE LAST SUPPER’
“The 2024 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,” Texas-based journalist Kyle Becker wrote on his social media handle on ‘X’.
On Sunday, the organising committee of the games said that the scene depicted during the opening ceremony on Friday evening had nothing to do with the figure of Jesus, who is revered in Christianity and Islam.
The offending scene – which was performed by colourfully dressed people, including drag queens – was a depiction of Greek gods enjoying a party and not of Jesus Christ and his followers, stated the organisers.
“There was never any intention to disrespect any religious group whatsoever,” said communications director Anne Descamps.
Nonetheless, the anger over the scene has spread as far as the Middle East, with Christian and Muslim groups expressing outrage.
The leader of Egypt’s largest Christian denomination, the Coptic church, condemned the opening ceremony as a “blasphemy”.
Pope Tawadros II said in a statement that the ceremony seemed to “contradict the Olympic Charter and its core values”.
“This blasphemy demands a clear and sincere apology from the organisers of the Paris 2024 Olympics to all Christians who were deeply offended by this regrettable scene,” he said.
“It marred what should have been a global celebration of sport bringing joy and happiness to all participants and spectators.”
Egypt’s Al-Azhar, arguably the world’s top Sunni Muslim authority, also condemned the ceremony as “insulting” in a statement.
“Insulting Jesus Christ or any of his brother prophets is extremism and reckless barbarism,” said the institution in a statement.
It continued: “Al-Azhar warns the world of the danger of exploiting global events to normalize insults to religion, and to promote destructive and shameful societal diseases such as homosexuality and sexual transformation, and calls for the need to unite to confront this deviant, low-level trend, which aims to exclude religion and deify degrading sexual desires that spread health and moral diseases, and impose a way of life.”
Broadcasts of the ceremony on TV were cut off or censored in Algeria, Morocco and Turkey.
An MP for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) denounced the ceremony as, “LGBT, pedophile and satanic propaganda”.
Other religious groups condemning the event included the Middle East Council of Churches, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, and the Muslim Council of Elders.
