The Vatican said Saturday it “deplored the offence” caused to Christians by the Olympic Games opening ceremony, a scene of which evoked Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and featured drag queens.
A week after a storm of criticism erupted around the event, the Holy See issued a statement in French that it was “saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony” and joined those who had been offended.
“At a prestigious event where the whole world comes together to share common values, there should be no ridiculous allusions to religion,” it said.
To critics, the scene during the July 26 ceremony evoked Jesus and his apostles in Da Vinci’s famous painting. It featured DJ and producer Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — wearing a silver headdress that looked like a halo while flanked by drag artists and dancers. France’s Catholic bishops said it made a mockery of Christianity.
The ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly has repeatedly denied he had been inspired by the “Last Supper,” saying the scene was meant to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French gastronomy. Paris Olympics organisers apologised to anyone who was offended by the tableau.
The Vatican spokesman didn’t immediately respond when asked why the Holy See was only responding now, a week after the event and after Catholic leaders around the world had expressed outrage at the scene.