In an audacious display during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, a shocking performance that many believe mocked Christianity has sparked outrage among Christians worldwide. The ceremony, featuring drag queens and transgender performers in a controversial reenactment of Da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” was praised by First Lady Jill Biden, intensifying the backlash.
The Olympic spectacle saw drag queens and transgender performers arranged in the formation of the iconic “Last Supper” painting, accompanied by an unsettling number of young children. The scene was further compounded by a provocative reference to the Book of Revelation, where a rider on a white horse, symbolizing death, was showcased against a dramatic pyrotechnic backdrop.
Despite the widespread backlash, First Lady Jill Biden lauded the ceremony, calling it “spectacular.” She remarked, “Last night, it was just spectacular. The rain did not dampen our spirits…. Every step of the way, I was thinking to myself, oh my god, oh my god. How are we going to top this?” Her comments did little to calm the storm of criticism that followed.
The First Lady also spoke optimistically about the upcoming 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, suggesting that Hollywood’s magic would rival Paris’s Eiffel Tower. “So, ok. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, but we have Hollywood and the magic of Hollywood that makes all dreams come true. I think we’re going to be ok.… It’s a city where new generations of dreamers shape our culture.”
However, the praise from the First Lady did not sit well with many Christians and other horrified viewers. Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester condemned the display, stating, “What’s interesting here is this deeply secularist, post-modern society knows who its enemy is. They’re naming it. And we should believe them. They’re telling us who they are. We should believe them. But furthermore, we Christians, we Catholics, should not be sheepish. We should resist, we should make our voices heard.”
Similarly, a group of French bishops expressed their outrage in a statement, lamenting the “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.” They extended their gratitude to other religious communities for their solidarity, emphasizing the global hurt inflicted by the performance. Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta echoed these sentiments on social media, expressing his “distress and great disappointment at the insult to us Christians during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.”
Adding to the chorus of disapproval, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson criticized the performance, saying, “Last night’s mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today. But we know that truth and virtue will always prevail.”
The controversy has underscored a growing divide between secularist expressions in global events and traditional values held by many religious communities. For many Christians, the Olympic opening ceremony was not just a spectacle but a direct affront to their faith. As the world watches, the response from Christian leaders and communities continues to amplify, signaling that this battle over cultural respect and religious sensitivity is far from over.
In the wake of this incident, it remains to be seen how future international events will navigate the delicate balance between artistic expression and respect for religious beliefs. The reaction to the Paris 2024 opening ceremony is a stark reminder that while art can challenge and provoke, it must also consider the deeply held values of millions around the world.
