The Vatican criticized this Saturday (3) a controversial scene at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, held on July 26, for “an offense committed against many Christians and believers of other religions”.
Despite not specifying the scenes, the statement refers to a reproduction of the painting “The Last Supper”, by Leonardo Da Vinci, “represented” by drag queens, a trans model and the almost naked singer Philippe Katerine, with some attributes of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and party.
The performance took place during the parade of sports delegations, which featured 85 boats, numerous artistic paintings and presentations by artists from around the world, in an unprecedented ceremony outside an Olympic stadium.
“The Holy See is saddened by some scenes from the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and can only join the voices that have been raised in recent days that deplore the offense committed against many Christians and believers of other religions”, states the communicated.
According to the Vatican, “there should be no allusions that ridicule the religious beliefs of many people at a prestigious event, where the whole world comes together around common values.” The note concludes by emphasizing that “freedom of expression, which is obviously not questioned, finds its limit in respect for others”.
Amid the controversy, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had already expressed itself, declaring that the opening was not intended to disrespect religious groups. Furthermore, those responsible for the event argued that the scene was a representation of a pagan festival linked to Olympian gods. (With information from Ansa)
