Two Dozen Catholic Bishops Demand Formal Apology After Olympic Opening Ceremony

The Eiffel Tower is pictured during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, on July 26, 2024. Cheng Min-Pool/Getty Images

Two dozen catholic cardinals and bishops from around the world called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to issue a formal apology over last week’s opening ceremony presentation that included drag queens in what many Christian organizations said was a mockery of “The Last Supper” as portrayed by Leonardo da Vinci.

“With shock the world watched as the summer Olympics in Paris opened with a grotesque and blasphemous depiction of the Last Supper. It is hard to understand how the faith of over 2 billion people can be so casually and intentionally blasphemed,” the open letter said.

It then asked that the Olympic organizers “repudiate” the opening ceremony and “apologize to all people of faith.”

“While it is hard to believe that such an intentionally hateful mockery of any other religion would be displayed on the world stage, this despicable action nonetheless threatens people of all faiths and of none, as it opens the door to those with power doing whatever they wish to people they do not like,” they wrote.

Some of the signatories are from the United States, including Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Archbishop Emeritus Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, and Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver. Bishops from France, Nigeria, Peru, the United Kingdom, Argentina, and other countries also signed the letter.

One day after the opening ceremony, Olympics spokesperson Anne Descamps told reporters that there was “never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” adding that the ceremony had “tried to celebrate community tolerance.”

“If people have taken any offense we are really sorry,” she said.

And later, the International Olympic Committee said in a written statement that it has “taken note of and welcomes the clarification given by the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee regarding the Opening Ceremony.”

“In the daily press briefing, the Organizing Committee said that there was never any intention to show disrespect towards any religious group or belief. They reiterated that their intention with the Opening Ceremony was always to celebrate community and tolerance,” the statement added, saying they were not trying to offend anyone and that “they were sorry.”

The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, also tried to distance his scene from any “Last Supper” parallels after the ceremony, saying during a news conference that it was meant to celebrate “diversity” and “to include everyone.”

During an interview with France station BFMTV, Jolly insisted that “The Last Supper” wasn’t his inspiration for the ceremony’s scene. “Dionysus arrives at the table because he is the Greek God of celebration,” he said, adding that the particular sequence was called “festivity.”

“The idea was to create a big pagan party in link with the God of Mount Olympus—and you will never find in me, or in my work, any desire of mocking anyone,” Jolly added.

But several Catholic leaders have individually rejected the organizers’ apology in comments posted on social media.

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, described the Olympic organizers’ apology as a “masterpiece of woke duplicity” in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 29.

“Christians were offended because it was offensive and it was intended to be offensive,” he said. “So please don’t patronize us with this condescending remark about, well, if you had any, you know, bad feelings, we’re awfully sorry about that.”

And Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, wrote in a social media post last weekend that “the mockery of the Last Supper” at the Paris Olympics ”reveals a profound question.”

The Epoch Times contacted the IOC for comment Friday.

The Paris Olympics closing ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 11.