The Paris Olympics opening ceremony is facing intense criticism, particularly from Christians around the world, for a performance many view as a parody of the Last Supper. Even Elon Musk, owner of Tesla and SpaceX, was unamused. The four-hour event on Friday night featured athletes parading down the river Seine, but one act stood out for the wrong reasons.
During the ceremony, broadcast cameras focused on a table of drag queens, one wearing a crown in front of DJ equipment, in a scene reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s mural of Jesus and his 12 disciples. The controversy escalated when the broadcast returned to the scene, now featuring a near-naked man painted blue, symbolising the Greek god Dionysus.
Social media reactions have been highly critical, with many users calling the performance an “insult” to Catholics.
In a media statement, the French Bishops’ Conference criticised the “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.”
Kenyan lawyer Donald Kipkorir condemned the display, saying, “France, a Roman Catholic nation, decided to open the Paris Olympics with LGBT & Drag Queens mocking Jesus’ Last Supper: one of the most sacred occasions in Christianity. And the Director was Jewish. Imagine if it were mocking a sacred Jewish ceremony? France betrayed Christianity.”
Elon Musk tweeted, “Christianity has become toothless.”
Adding to the controversy, technical issues and near-torrential rain affected the ceremony, with viewers reporting poor audio quality. Critics labeled the show as the ‘worst ever,’ though Canadian singer Celine Dion’s performance of the ‘Hymn of Love’ was perhaps the one event that saved this one dreadful day.
The ceremony, meant to be a blend of sport and artistic expression, ended up igniting significant debate and disappointment among many spectators.
