Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony: Organisers Apologise To Christians For Parodying ‘The Last Supper’

The organising committee of the Paris Olympics has offered an apology to Catholics and other Christian groups for including a lewd scene during the opening ceremony that parodied Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

“There was never an intention to show disrespect to a religious group,” Anne Descamps, the Paris 2024 spokeswoman said while addressing the media. “If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really sorry,” she added.

The contentious scene that triggered widespread outrage from the Christian community evoked Da Vinci's painting with drag queens, a transgender model, and featured a raunchy song in the character of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of France condemned the scene invoking 'The Last Supper' saying that it “made Christianity the subject of derision and mockery".

"This morning, our thoughts are with all Christians of all continents, who were offended by the outrageousness and provocation of a few scenes.” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of France further added.

The scene was also criticised by the Italian Bishops’ Conference. In a statement, the conference said that the occasion "should have been a celebration of French culture took an unexpectedly negative turn, becoming a parade of banal errors, accompanied by trite and predictable ideologies".

In the run-up to the opening ceremony, the selection of Franco-Malian musician Aya Nakamura to perform during the opening ceremony stoked a huge controversy. Nakumara has often faced accusations of "vulgarity" and disrespecting the French language in her lyrics.

Marine Le Pen, a leading figure in French politics, criticised the decision, deeming it a "provocation" and a "humiliation" by President Emmanuel Macron.

According to a poll by Odoxa, 73 per cent of French people thought that Nakamura does not represent “French” music, while 63 per cent opposed the idea of her headlining at the opening ceremony.