Former US president Donald Trump and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew condemned the controversial opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris on Friday.
Trump called the ceremony a “disgrace,” after its creators came under fire for what some said was a show gone too far. “I’m very open-minded but I thought what they did was a disgrace,” Trump told Fox News.
When asked by host Laura Ingraham what he would do if he’s reelected president in time for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Trump replied: “We won’t be having a ‘Last Supper’ as portrayed the way they portrayed it.”
The “unintentional parody” of the Last Supper angered Christians and Catholics.
The outrage sparked after the ceremony featured a scene reminiscent of da Vinci’s painting with a transgender model, drag queens, and a man in a very revealing outfit.
Organizers now claim the unintentional parody of the Last Supper was meant to represent Dionysus and raise awareness of the absurdity of violence among humans.
In Greek mythology, Dionysus is the god of wine, vegetation, fertility, festivity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theater. According to myth, Dionysus was born twice.
Ecumenical Patriarch Joins Trump to express “deepest sadness” on opening ceremony
The sketch drew condemnation from Catholic groups and French bishops. They were joined by the Head of the Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
In a statement released by the Patriarchate in Constantinople, Bartholomew expressed his “deepest sadness,” for the blasphemy of God.
“It was with great sadness that we watched during the ceremony in Paris offensive performances for Christianity and the holy Gospel, but also for every civilized person, who recognizes the right to believe and respect religious symbols.
“These images not only did not brighten the ceremony, but tarnished it. It is not progress to blaspheme God, nor is it a right to insult the religious beliefs of our fellow human beings.
“The spontaneous expression of disgust and disapproval on the part of the world, we hope, has sent a sufficiently loud message to the decision-makers and is a source of hope for avoiding similar actions in the future.”
The pressure generated by the sketch in the opening ceremony prompted a press conference from the Paris 2024 organizers.
Spokesperson Anne Descamps stated, “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. The inauguration tried to celebrate community and tolerance.”
Moreover, she added, “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”
In addition to Descamps’s comments, the director of the Last Supper scene at the Olympics, Thomas Jolly, said that religious criticism was not his intention.
In his defense, Jolly insisted, “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that.”
