Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and all of Greece voiced his strong disapproval of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, following a segment that appeared to show a re-enactment of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous “Last Supper” painting with the participation of drag queens.
Responding to a question about the issue, which caused a global reaction online, the Archbishop stated, “All this is worthy of absolute contempt.”
The global backlash included a notable statement by the French Catholic Church expressing its offense over the incident: “The opening ceremony offered the world wonderful moments of beauty and joy, rich in emotions worldwide. But, unfortunately, the same ceremony also included scenes of mockery of Christianity for which we deeply regret.” The Paris opening ceremony organizers denied any connection between the scene and Da Vinci’s painting claiming it was a representation of medieval painting.
The scene at the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony sparked thousands of comments on social media with Christians condemning what they saw as a mockery of their religious beliefs, with many representatives from various religious communities expressing their dissatisfaction. They view the event as an insult to the faith of Christians.
The American telecommunications company C Spire, a major sponsor of the Olympics, withdrew its advertisements due to the organizers’ mockery of the Last Supper.
Many argued the scene in the opening ceremony depicted the “tableau vivant” (living painting) which is based on “The Feast of the Gods” by Jan van Bijlert from 1635, which features “Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, and Mars, the god of war, alongside Venus, the goddess of love, who is known for her well-known relationships.”
