By TONY LOPEZ
On July 28, the Paris Olympics organizers apologized to Christian and Catholic groups over a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” that was part of the four-hour made-for-TV opening ceremony Saturday (Friday, July 26 in Paris).
The surreal segment depicted the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles sharing the last meal before his crucifixion by a crew of drag queens and dancers, including a transgender individual, and a nude singer. The main characters almost all overweight, the parody seems also to promote obesity,
as if inviting weight reduction drugs sponsors. The organizers claimed to celebrate community and tolerance.
Said an Australian bishop, Roberto Barron: “France felt it’s trying to put its best cultural foot forward (and) the right thing to do is to mock this very central moment in Christianity where Jesus at His Last Supper gives His body and blood in anticipation of the cross.”
Gross, flippant mockery
Instead, Barron protested, “what’s presented is this gross, flippant mockery.”
France, the bishop noted, used to be called the eldest daughter of the Church. Paris gave us Thomas Aquinas who taught there; Vincent de Paul, King Louis IX, and Saint Louis. France sent Catholic missionaries all over the world.
French actor Philippe Katerine, whose primarily nude body was painted sparkly blue to portray a Greek god during the opening ceremony, told Le Parisien newspaper that he was “proud of the performance.”
Nudity
“Nudity is really the very origin of the Games,” he reminded the publication, translated from French. He later added that he was “very happy” to be a part of the ceremony.
Related the US Today newspaper: “In one scene from the opening ceremony, a dinner platter lifted to show a mainly nude Katerine singing in French. In the background, dancers and drag queens struck poses along a long table.”
“Panning through the tableau, a camera first showed a person crowned with an aureole in front of DJ turntables. The next shot showed the rest of the table, lined with performers holding their poses.”
“The table then transformed into a catwalk, as the drag queens and models took the stage in homage to Paris’ fashion scene.”
“The official X account for the Olympic Games shared photos of the moment and referenced Dionysus, Greek god of wine-making, fruitfulness and ecstasy.”
“The interpretation of the Greek god Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings,” Today quoted a tweet captioning the photos.